Adjustments
by jaimi-or-jaemi
Summary: For over a year he had been aware of the second life his brother lead within the shifter community and he was banned from, now his brother was gone and he was being pulled into it, only in the shifter world not everything is as it seems.
1. Waking Up

All of my Mystrade fans, I hope you enjoy!

This is primarily from Mycroft's view, though there will be lots of Greg to!

Any parts from the shows transcript have been lovingly gotten from Ariane DeVere's live journal because she was awesome enough to make a complete set.

Oh yeah, "speaking", -texting-, _telepathy-human form_, _**telepathy-animal or mixed form,**_ _"commanding"_, everything else

Disclaimer: Sherlock does not belong to me, it belongs to BBC and Doyle.

Chapter one lines up with chapters 82 and 83 of Seeking

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><p><em>Mycroft's POV<br>_His mind comes back online long before his eyes open, it takes him a few moments to identify where he is be scent and feeling, and when he does, he forces his eyes open to check because he has a very hard time believing that he is in the flat at 221B Baker Street. Yet as he glances around, he finds he is indeed in his brother's flat, in what had been the doctors room, yet looking around it shows signs of disuse that are far older than the one-hundred six days and twenty-one hours that his brother has been dead. Closing his again he falls back under the urge to sleep that he has been trying to fight off.

The next time he awakens, it is feeling far better than he has in a long time, years even, at least physically. Mentally he feels as if he is still drowning in emotion, for all of his claims not to care, there are at least three people in this world he cares deeply for, his mother and his brothers. Well there were three people, now there is only two. The other had killed himself rather than trusting him to help.

Eyes snap open again as he fully awakens from the overly deep sleep. The first thing he spots is Doctor Watson hovering just outside of his clear line of sight until he tilts his head the slightest.

The doctor quickly greets him and suggests a shower before leaving him on his own. He also suggests that he join them when he is ready which makes him question who else is there.

After the doctor leaves he frowns at the door as he swings himself into a seated position, wondering what type of drug the shifter had used on him for him to feel the way he currently does. He has not felt this physically healthy since before he took his first job working in the field in order to build up to the position he currently held. Why was he here exactly?

The last thing he can recall completely clear was standing up at the end of a thirty-four hour stretch to leave his desk and retreat to the small bedroom attached to the back of the office, hidden from sight. Only he never made it to his hidden room, somewhere between his desk and the door he can remember the massive amounts of pain lancing through his body, the way his legs gave out, Amber's soft cry of alarm as she appeared at his side without her phone, and the medical personal that had silently rushed into the room. After that his memory was in and out but he can clearly recall being taken to the medical facility where all agents are treated. He can even vaguely recall being treated though the last thing he remembers was the doctor swearing as his heart stopped and a set of alarms went off.

So how had he ended up here? Amber must have come here. Though why would she come here? If his, doctors could not save him he should be dead. Besides it's not like anyone would really miss him. The family member he has the most connection with is gone, dead by his own hand.

Shaking his head, he stands and realizes that he is wearing a hospital gown and one of his house suits for days he has off is laid out on the dresser. Getting to his feet he also notices the fact his skin feels grimy, a feeling he has never appreciated, and decides to accept the doctors offer to use the shower. He is not as picky as his brother for the type of products he uses. Collecting up the clothing he silently pads out of the room and downstairs to the bathroom to shower.

Stepping into the small room, the scent of it calls forth images of his brother after one of his binges, sleeping in the tub because the smell of his conditioner was relaxing. That bathroom had been a lot like this one. Closing the door, he shakes his head, pushing the memories away. Those memories will do him no good. He is mildly shocked when he turns on the shower to warm and discovers that his brother's products are still in the washing stall. Studying them for a moment he realizes that they have been moved several times, but they are always put back in nearly the same place.

As he climbs into the water, realization strikes with dark clarity. The reason that the doctor refused to let him take his brothers things, they were in a relationship. It was probably the reason that his brother had been brought into the pack and its protections. But his brother had been accepted into the pack soon after they had moved in together, yet his brother had not shown any signs of being in a relationship, of the changes that a relationship would cause according to his previous behavior when he tried that brief but horrible time with the Trevor boy in uni.

He still clearly recalls his brother ending that relationship when he had walked in on Trevor with another bloke, telling the outsider how the only reason he put up with Sherlock was he wanted to be the one to fuck him first. It had been crude and his brother's reaction had been quick and violent, throwing the outsider through the window, with Trevor following close behind along with every article of his that his brother could reach. After that his brother had closed himself off the rest of the way, his already distant brother had finished becoming the Sherlock that the doctor would meet just a few years later. That was the same year he had finally stopped taking drugs regularly. He had only started using them because that's what his partner had done, and then he got addicted. With Trevor gone and the discovery that he could get onto the crime scenes as long as he was sober and he willingly got himself cleaned up. Though there had been some very rough nights as he was doing so.

With the water streaming over him, he debates about using his brother's products and decides in the long run to use his products because he cannot stand the idea of having his brother's scent right now. Today was already shaping up to be a stressful day, no reason to add to it by having a constant reminder of his loss, his mind did that enough. When he is done bathing he dresses quickly. Not surprised at the fact that his assistant had included everything he would need.

Before he leaves the bathroom there is a slight brush against his mind before he hears, _Leave the dirty items in the hamper by the door._ The voice is both familiar and not, taking him a moment to recognize it as the cobra who had visited him several times in the past to be threatening and intimidating.

Understanding the directive, he does so before heading to the living room area, not exactly sure what he is going to find there. Head up, he strides into the room, his eyes taking in the fact that it seems to be as clean as it was before his brother left, nearly all of his brother's things are still where they had been the last time he was here except for the science equipment. The doctor is seated in his chair with a small plate of food, the cobra is seated nearly in the fireplace with a fire burning in it, and there is a plate of fresh food that appears to have been just made seated by the sofa.

There is something off but he cannot figure it out, very annoying, it does not help that he is still expecting the pain to return though it has not yet done so. "Good morning Doctor Watson," he greets the holder of the house before turning his attention to the cobra, he can feel his eyebrows draw together as he recalls which of the titles is proper to call the cobra and tries to determine why the cobra is here, "Tech, I believe." He eventually murmurs, recalling that Amber had said his title of Venomous was for hunting. Though she had never specified what he hunted.

The teenage looking cobra inclines his head once but shifts over so his back is against the wall next to the fireplace, absorbing the warmth into himself. A part of him wonders if the other man's cobra form affects his human one, cobras love heat since they are technically a tropical and subtropical animal.

Motioning to the sofa, the doctor states, "Have a seat, Mycroft, the plates for you, all high in energy foods that will help with recovery," in between bites of his breakfast.

Trying for dignity he settles onto the sofa, carefully glancing at the plate before as he considers whether he is hungry or not. He gets the impression this conversation will not continue until he eats. Besides, according to the feeling in his stomach it has been several days since he has last eaten and it is time.

There is very little chance that the doctor was going to poison him after taking the time to help with whatever the situation had been.

He is surprised that breakfast continues smoothly, just as he is when the cobra collects everyone's dishes and heads into the kitchen to make something to drink, tea and something else according to the sounds.

Finally he decides to begin speaking, "I was in the office when I collapsed due to sharp pains in my chest, stomach, and legs. Last thing I recall is Amber, forgive me, Anthea, calling for an ambulance." He pauses for a moment, frowning before stating, "I cannot understand why I am here rather than a hospital or having my private physician seeing to me."

Answering his unspoken question, the doctor comments, "Anthea brought you to me, after the human medical system failed to determine why your body was shutting down."

"Why?" he queries softly. Not understanding why his assistant would bring him here, why his doctors were unable to assist, why he was saved when he really did not wish to be.

The doctor gives a slight shrug before responding, "As you are not pack, I cannot answer," he pauses for a moment tilting his head to the side before continuing, "What I can do is offer you a place within the pack, but you have to understand that our kind live by a rather strict set of laws regarding humans and our interactions with them."

He controls his reaction, trying to not give away his emotions and shock. His brother was dead, why was the wolf offering him a place within the pack? It is not logical, there is nothing tying him to the pack any longer. Even when he had a reason to be accepted into the pack he had not been. Instead of asking about that, he inclines his head slightly inquiring, "Why is he hovering in the kitchen?" He had heard the taller man finish the drinks several minutes prior so he was not sure why he was waiting, besides, wasn't the drinks going to be cold if he waited too long?

Chuckling, the wolf replies, "He's attempting to be polite. It's a new skill, one he prefers to ignore normally."

From the door to the kitchen he hears, "I can be polite, it's rare but I do know how. Unfortunately, when I decide to be polite I tend to fall back on custom and you dislike a great deal of the customs." A moment later the taller man is placing a steaming hot chocolate in front of him.

He is startled by the fact that words were spoken aloud, and now that he has heard his vocalizations it is easy to tell that every other time that they have communicated has been with the cobra using telepathy because there is a hissing quality to his spoken word that his telepathic voice lacks. The fact that the hot chocolate is still perfectly hot is startling as well, for as long as the cobra had stood between the kitchen and the living room it should have cooled down.

A slight smile curves the doctors lips as he asks, "Oh yeah, he can speak aloud, doesn't do it often, but he can do so. You've really only ever heard him mindspeak right?"

"Correct," he replies slightly stiffly as he tries to reign in his emotions. There seems to be something affecting his emotions, they are not as controllable as normal which concerns him since he rarely loses control of his emotions. Focusing internally he gets them back under control in order to turn his attention back to the situation at hand.

He was just offered a place within the pack. Why? That is what he keeps circling back to, is the question of why. Why is he here? Why is he not dead or at the hospital? Why had the wolf who as far as he has ever noticed hates him offered him a place among his group? Why now? The second thing his mind keeps circling back to is what does the doctor get out of this? What does it affect for him to offer? He needs more data but this is one part of life that has been frustratingly difficult to get data on.

It was impossible to tell shifters from humans unless they do something obvious like the cobra with his scales. They are all rather secretive about their kind. Until the first time he had a shifter appear in his office he had not even realized his assistant was not human. Shifter matters were dealt with by Layard, and he was intentionally kept out of them, it was one of the only areas he did not have access to besides some very highly classified documents. Though after his discovery that Layard was a shifter or at least came from a shifter family he had understood why the older man was the one with access to the shifter information.

This almost feels like he should be in one of his formal suits and that he is dealing with a diplomatic situation that could have wide reaching affects, so a bit formally, as if talking to a prime minister of one of their neutral almost allies, "I would like to accept your offer, Doctor Watson, however I know all things have a price."

For a moment the doctor stares at him before a dry chuckle escapes him as a smile tugs at the shifters lips, "It is simple enough, do not break pack law if you accept. That's it. Of course, you do realize that within a pack the alpha has the right to complete stop any actions whether they are pack related or not." He shrugs, "I am not telling you this because I am controlling, just that it is a part of our lives."

_Our laws are simple, do not involve shifters in human affairs as much as possible, do not reveal our existence to those who are unaware. In matters of law alphas, trackers, and lambda are the ones who deal with them. In our pack that would be John, myself, Nathan, Konrad-though he is in training, and Gregory. _Snorting aloud the cobra comments, "It's a right that John forgets until there is a clear threat to the pack or the member in question is doing something very foolish." _or someone is threatening the pack. _

_Why are you commenting like this? _He thinks pointedly, not sure that the cobra will hear him.

The impression of a smirk reaches him along with an answer, _Because he's the one officially speaking, I am just making sarcastic comments, that just happens to have points. He can feel me mindspeaking, and is merely ignoring it at the moment because I am not being actually rude._

He nods once, eyes narrow as he considers that.

The doctor must take his nod for something else because he remarks, "Don't worry about national secrets, neither of us really care about human politics. Past that, I have clearance equal to yours though I next to never use it, and he has clearance above yours since it is just easier than trying to keep him from learning things." Again the wolf shrugs, "In case you hadn't realized after Baskerville."

Smirking slightly because he had realized and even looked into it he replies, "I had looked into how you were able to walk onto a highly classified base and turn it on its collective ear. Those that vanished and never made it to the trial have not been seen since."

It was one of those things that made him curious how they could have just disappeared yet it was one of those things he had figured that he would never have an answer for because it was something Layard had told him to forget.

The answer out of doctor is not one he expects, "Well you know, it's never good to piss off a vengeance goddess and they did just that."

Startled he comments, "Doctor Watson, I thought you above such beliefs."

_As a Tracker sworn to three of the Old Gods I can tell you they are quite real, _the cobra snaps.

At the same time the wolf gives a small shake of his head commenting, "I do not know if human gods are real or not, but our seven Old Gods are very real and very active in our world," smiling lightly he continues, "something you should be very thankful for or you would be dead."

"Oh," is the only thing he can think of as he tries to figure out why he should be thank for it. Finally, deciding he will get no answers without accepting, he gives a small shake of his head before stating, "I would like to accept your offer, if it remains."

_Unfasten or pull up your dominate arm's sleeve, the bond is wrist to wrist, pulse to pulse. _The cobra informs him.

So he does so, watching as the doctor does the same.

"It does indeed, mind you, this is the informal pack acceptance," the doctor remarks with a small smile as the other man notices he has already moved his sleeve.

Moving to stand before him the smaller man offers his arm, it takes him a moment to process before he accepts, pressing his wrist to the other man's arm. Distantly he can hear the wolf state, "Welcome to the Watson pack, Mycroft," but the majority of his brain power is focus on the feelings coursing through him.

Emotions and feelings of acceptance fill him. While a sense of belonging unlike anything he has ever felt courses through him. He can feel the link within his mind. When he focuses on it he can feel each of the people in the link, his mind accidently brushing against them, so of which he recognizes as he feels them. John's link and Tech's are the most familiar, however he also recognizes the feel of Gregory and his girls, and Mouse as well. It's an amazing feeling. No one his brother had not wanted to share this, it was better than any drug. The overall feeling is that of warmth and home.

A part of his mind realizes when the wolf and cobra leave the room but he is too focused inwards to pay much attention to their actions past noting that they have not left the flat.

"Mycroft?" he hears the wolf query a few minutes later and he realizes that he has another hot chocolate in his hands.

"How?" he asks as he comes back to the present.

A slight smile curves the smaller mans lips as he answers simply, "Eric." Moving to his chair he settles into it as he begins to speak, "In answer to your question of why you are here and not at any sort of formal medical facility, I am a healer as well as an alpha." The wolf pauses to sip his tea, "actually, I am probably one of the strongest healers in this country, I once said telepathy was not my gift, I was not lying, my gift is healing, the ability to heal at a cellular level to be exact. How I heal is something very few have ever discovered and is not something any non-pack member knows. Your assistant knows I am a shifter healer, and shifter healers are stronger better than human doctors or gifted healers, so she asked a favor, one that is technically illegal but let's over look that note."

The wolf falls silent while he considers that. The ability to heal at a cellular level is amazing. It is something not even the world's best doctors can do. No wonder they like to keep to themselves, that kind of power is remarkable and in the wrong hands it could be a very deadly weapon. Part of him wonders what other types of gifts their kind have. There is the invisibility he has seen, the mind control, the telepathy, and now the healing. If he had not seen those exact gifts with his own eyes he would think that someone believing in them was delusional.

He can understand why it was illegal for them to reveal their gifts to humans but it makes him curious so he asks, "Why did you do it if it is technically illegal and you have already stated your kind are very law oriented?"

Still smiling the wolf explains, "Its illegal for her, not me, she is gifted and not related to you in any way. I on the other hand am by all rights and technicalities your brother-in-law." Pausing, the doctor shrugs once, his hair seeming to change textures before his eyes, "You once asked why I accepted Sherlock into the pack," he holds up his left wrist showing the spiral fern on it, "because I knew even then that we could be bondmates. Wolves only ever bond once, and I bonded your brother. Even if he is no longer here, you are still his brother, and thus mine through the bond."

He can feel his eyes widening as he recalls seeing the exact same mark on his brothers arm, "The tattoo I did not understand," it was a bondmark? Did that mean his brother was married?

_By our kind's standards, yes, _the cobra answers his unspoken question.

Now that he is linked with them, he can feel the fact that the cobra is trying to be nice, it is not his normal behavior style.

The doctor nods once, "Indeed, only it's not a tattoo, a tattoo is done by human hands, these are created by the gods themselves. In our case, it was the Mistress of Shadow who determined we would make a good bond couple, and I accepted it. As did he or the mark never would have appeared on his wrist. When you picked on him about being a virgin he considered telling you about it to prove you wrong but decided against it. After all, it was a pack matter, and a personal matter, and you were neither pack nor close."

Through the new link he can feel that the doctor is trying to spare his feelings, that he trying not to overload him. He had realized there were problems between him and his brother but he had not realized quite how bad they were. Maybe he wasn't as smart as he thought he was. "He didn't trust me," he mutters, sorrow filling him over the idea that the brother he would have done anything for didn't think that he cared enough to know it would have been something he would have encouraged.

Frowning, he only partly pays attention as the wolf continues to speak. He is trying to figure out why he is being so emotional again when emotions are not something he does very often.

_Side effect of the den bonding, your brother was in shock for nearly two hours after his, John is trying to make sure that does not happen to you as well. _Once more the cobra answers his unspoken question.

Blinking, he answers the question that the wolf had placed before him, "It occurred while I was still doing field work, actually that was my last mission prior to getting promoted into the position my assistant now holds." He tilts his head a bit, "That was fourteen years ago, I was twenty-two at the time."

The doctor nods, commenting, "Well whoever else they had stabbed with that knife had the beginning stages of multiple myeloma, it spent years dormant in your system, or maybe suppressed by your system before it started to spread. Only it is an illness that is hard to detect at the best of times, and I would say that it was not the best of times for you."

His mind whirls at that statement, calling up facts and information he knows of multiple myeloma, it is form of cancer that is dangerous because of the fact it attacks the bone marrow which helps make antibodies to fight infection. It is deadly if not caught soon enough, surely the doctor is not trying to tell him that he has been cured of cancer? "So you are saying I am dying?"

"No," the wolf replies as shakes his head, "you were dying. It's gone now. Like I said, I can heal on a cellular level, it's gone." Shrugging he continues, "I also dealt with the beginning stages of the aneurism that you were developing, ironically enough it was almost in the same spot as your mothers. Oh yes, I know you must have noticed the change in behavior. I knocked her out and healed her, only she was still functioning with it, so I didn't say what I did, merely passed off why they fell asleep on my sofa as tired from the emotional events and fact that cobra fetched them to London which they had not been expecting."

When the wolf is done speaking he nods, recalling the changes in his mother's behavior that had started right after Sherlock's memorial. It explained a lot. If she had an aneurism it explained why she had changed after the car accident shortly after Aragorn's birth. Aragorn, does he know about the pack and shifter world? He would have to find out but how to ask without giving it away? It is something to consider later, when he is not processing with too much emotion.

Eventually the doctor suggests, "Now then, Mycroft, you might want to get a hold of your assistant because I am moderately certain that she is still concern about you and I would give her a big bonus if I was you, because walking into a shifter household to ask a favor is something gifted folks majorly hate doing." He shrugs continuing, "Old feud problems between the two species." Pausing, he smiles as he changes subjects, "There are twice monthly pack meeting, held on the new moon and full moon each month, the full moon meeting is always more important one. If you want, I can have Mouse find time in your mutual schedules in order to get lessons on our history, it's not required."

He nods, considering it and deciding to accept the assistance since they are willingly offering it. However he still plans to talk to Gregory about a lot of this, because he can read Gregory's behavior and tells far better than he can Mouse's. While he is considering the offer and all of the information, the wolf fetches his wallet and phone which had been carefully placed inside his brother's desk.

A moment later the smaller man hands him his phone and he smiles gratefully before standing and heading to the landing between this floor and the above as he calls to speak with Amber. He quickly updates her on his health, including thanking her for bringing him here. He is beginning to understand the risks that she had taken in doing so. Once he has finished updating her, he has her update him on how everything is going today.

At the end of the conversation she bids him, "Please spend today relaxing, I can handle it for one day, I would not be able to handle it permanently."

He smiles, responding, "I have been accepted into the Watson pack, it is my hope that I can get information out of them today, please bring my laptop to Doctor Watson's flat."

"Yes sir," she replies and he can just about hear her smile, "I'm happy for you. Perhaps now you can pursue a more meaningful relationship with the DI."

He just shakes his head, disconnecting the call before going back into the living room. Sitting by his spot on the divan is a new hot chocolate. Really, this visit was not going well for his diet.

As he moves to sit back down, the wolf comments, "Well, as a healer and a doctor I must suggest that you take a day in order for your body to finish adapting to being healed, otherwise you can undo some of the work I did," pausing, he shrugs, "you're welcome to stay here if you want, I realize it's probably not as nice as your own place but it has its merits. Including top of the line security," the end is said with a somewhat sarcastic smile.

Glancing around he is trying to figure out what security when he realizes they the doctor is referring to the cobra. Settling into the spot he gazes around the room with a new understanding of both his brother and the man whom his brother lived with. He is deep in thought when Amber arrives and delivers his laptop, quickly reiterating how pleased she is to see that he is feeling better and that she is happy for him belonging to the pack now before she leaves again and he returns to his spot to check his files.

There is more to learn, but first, first to catch up on work.


	2. Anger and Shock

Thank you for any form of communication, I love it and it keeps me writing!

Chapter one lines up with chapter 84 of Seeking

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><p><em>Mycroft's POV<br>_After taking most of the morning to catch up on the notes his assistant had made for him on the situations she dealt with or rescheduled, he is surprised when he realizes how calmly it had passed from morning to afternoon without any problems. Considering the doctors habit of trying to feed his brother in the past according to his grumbling he is surprised the doctor is not doing the same to him. Not that he would have noticed, he was rather zoned for a bit there.

Once his primary paperwork was all caught up he had taken to occasionally asking questions about his brother. Little things that he always wanted to know and hadn't been allowed to because of the stressful situation between them. Little things he would have loved knowing he is finding out ever so late. Like the fact that Doctor Watson had given him a lab, a proper lab, and his brother had been filled with complete joy. His brother had enjoyed teaching the teenage members of the pack about chemistry and deduction. How his brother had thrived with praise, having had little self-esteem, having felt that no matter how hard he tried he was never good enough. That his brother loved having a family that wanted him around and treated him with pleasure and joy. The way his brother had by passed expectations, taking them and beating them, filling with pleasure every time he succeeded. He learned that Sherlock only avoided eating and sleeping because he felt it was a waste of time and slowed him down. His brother only took drugs to deal with depression and feeling like he was an outcast that was unwanted. He was surprised to discover that his brother loved hot chocolate more than tea or coffee but drunk the other two more often because it was the easiest thing to get idiots to make. Apparently his brothers favorite color combination was indigo and dark lilac. His brother loved racing through the streets of London on John's back, though he was still having a hard time picturing that.

He also learned little bit about the pack, the fact it was actually divided into three parts, the base wolf pack, the military pack, and the Devon pack. That if there is situation the first two people to consider speaking with was the doctor and the cobra. That in matters of pack law the best person to speak to was the cobra seated against the fireplace with a laptop as he was the one who maintain the packs safety nd ensured the laws were followed, at least the important ones.

A short time before dinner time, the doctor queries, "I've got fish or chicken to cook, any preferences?"

It takes him a moment to realize that he is being included in the question. It is such an unusual feeling, normally Amber just sets something in front of him after he has been working for a while and whenever he eats out he has a preselected menu to stick to. He shrugs, not really caring since he likes both fish and chicken.

When the flat starts filling with the fresh scents of chicken and vegetables and fresh breads his mind turns to the fact that his brother seemed to have been adjusted to his home here. Had loved having a family so why had he killed himself? There had to have been another option besides killing himself? From what he could tell the military section of the pack had all special abilities and would have helped. So why hadn't they helped?

The questions continue to build as he eats his dinner, mildly surprised at how good of a cook the doctor is. He wonders if it has anything to do with being a shifter or if it was talent from practice. As the cobra starts cleaning up after they finish eating, he is struck by the similarity between the cobra and his brother and his anger comes bubbling to the surface.

Repeatedly the doctor and cobra had told him that they would protect his brother yet his brother was dead. They had not protected him when he had messed up and given James Moriarty too much information. Why had they not helped him?

With his anger riding him hard he moves to stand directly in front of the doctors chair, fighting to keep his features blank as he snaps, "The both of you have told me the pack protects its own and yet my brother is dead."

There is no reaction out of the wolf or cobra, save for the fact both of them stop what they are doing in order to watch him. He can feel the aggression from the cobra in the other room but is ignoring it. He is not the one his fury is currently focused on. Perhaps if he had been allowed to keep track of his brother this wouldn't have happened.

His fury mounts as the two of them continue to watch him. "He died. You were there. Why didn't you stop it?" he man demands his voice crackling with anger, "How could you let him die? I have seen that one trying to play invisible do some very impossible seeming things. So how the hell did you fail to stop him from killing himself?" he stops to take a deep, harsh breath staring hard at the wolf seated so calmly.

A part of him is horrified of his loss of control. Why was he being so emotional right now?

There is a gentleness to the wolf's voice that bothers him more than silence or stillness. "The command voice only works if the person can hear me without aid and he was being blocked by the Dusk Daughter which prevented both Eric and I from forcing him to our will via telepathy. Believe me, we tried to stop him, however it is very hard to stop something when one of the Old Gods gets involved. Had I known before he jumped that he made a deal with the Goddess of Darkness I would tried to find some other option. In typical style for him, he acted without saying a bloody thing to me," there is sorrow in the wolf's voice, an impression of emotion echoing through the new link that makes him more aware of the doctors emotions that he wants to admit.

He can feel the cobra's anger and focus on him, but he also realizes that he is holding it back. There must be a reason it's being contained.

"Sit down Mycroft," the wolf politely states but he is too keyed up to listen, right now all he wants to do is strike out and make him hurt as much as he is. "_Sit down Mycroft." _The wolf's voice hardens, an edge of power forcing him to obey.

He is horrified about that, completely surprised that he actually did as said. This must be the command voice, another thing that could cause problems between humans and shifters if there are a lot of shifters who hold that type of power.

Before he has a chance to say anything, the wolf states, "Consider the following one of those secrets you are not allowed to say to anyone since at this exact moment the only people who know it are myself, Eric, Daria, Nathan, and Jacob. Which of that list three of us have clearance. The other two just know how to keep their mouths shut."

The wolf stops speaking, watching him with expectant eyes and he realizes that he is waiting for him to acknowledge his words before continuing. Tightly, he nods once, not saying anything because he wants to know what it is that the wolf is going to tell him. He has a feeling he knows what the wolf is leading up to but it is impossible.

As soon as he nods the wolf starts speaking again, "Well technically its six of us who knows. Only number six is currently traveling with him. Sherlock's not dead."

He reacts without thinking, losing all control because it is unbelievable, "I saw his body! I am the one who drew the blood from him damn you! I know it was my brother."

It is not the doctor who answers but the cobra, "Actually you drew the blood of a doppelganger," a moment later the wolf sets a drink before him before continuing to speak, "A goddess created doppelganger, but still a doppelganger. Designed to look, taste, and smell like the real thing. How very fortunate for you, unlike John here who actually had to deal with the real one when he was literally bleeding out. One must allow that the Old Ones can be very good at what they do." He can hear the tightly controlled anger in the cobra's voice with the hissing of his words.

Silence reigns for a time, it feels as if the negative emotions are being drained from him. Its another thing that he is going to have to ask about.

Finally he demands softly, afraid to believe the impossible though they have shown time and time again that the impossible was very possible, "Are you certain?"

The wolf nods once, simply stating, "Yes."

Shocked, he is happy that the doctor had already forced him to sit because otherwise he is certain that his recently healed legs would not hold him. That he would have collapsed onto the sofa in shock because he never thought it was possible. The anger drains out of him at the idea that he might have a second chance with his brother. Maybe just maybe there was hope. Today definitely been a insightful day.

His mind has just turned to wondering if he can find him when the cobra states, "Do not try to find him with a CCTV, cameras, or the satellites, it won't work, I made sure of that when I sent Spathi with him." he pauses to shrug, "I could trace his armband if I had to, or even use telepathy to track down Spathi. However as a Tracker I understand the importance of not interfering when dealing with a Trackers mission."

Understanding that the cobra is very serious and right now willing to go with what he is being told if only for a hope that his brother lived, he nods once in understanding.

The three of them fall silent. He falls deep into his thought for a while before returning to checking on the updates from his assistant. She has rescheduled all of his appointments from today and tomorrow into the next two weeks. According to the message he has gotten, he is to take tomorrow to adjust to his new circumstances and she will not tolerate any arguing, the work will still be there on Friday. It was better he just deals with this now so that when he attends the pack meeting he would not be overloaded. Apparently his assistant had worked with him too long and understood how his mind worked. Well she was the one person he trusted with life or death information, so it was not too shocking.

Several hours pass as he works on his laptop, only part of his attention focused on the information it contains as his mind processes everything he has learned today. It has been a very enlightening day. The two things he keeps circling back to are he was accepted into the pack without any sort of coercion on his part and that his brother lives. Those two things have nearly sent him into overload, which is rather funny when one considers the fact that many would consider the ability to control through spoken word and how the doctor had healed him should probably fall on the unusual side as well but he is coming to expect unusual shows of strength. The discovery that the brother he thought was asexual was apparently in a serious and nearly married relationship wasn't even as shocking because he had long suspected there had just been no evidence of it.

Just after midnight, he stands and stretches, glancing around as he states, "I should be getting home to sleep."

Shrugging, the doctor remarks, "That's up to you. There is still the room upstairs if you want to sleep in it."

He considers the offer for a moment, before remarking, "You sleep in my brother's room."

A predatory smile curves the doctors lips as he states clearly, "I sleep in our shared bedroom. That is correct." Narrowing his eyes he continues, "It's the same room I shared with him for over a year."

Now that he knows about his brother living he states the obvious to make sure that it is the same reasoning as what the doctor had thought, "That's why you would not let me take any of his things. You knew he was alive and that he would eventually be returning." Pausing he thinks about it for a moment before asking, "How much longer do you expect me to rest?"

The wolf smirks at him commenting, "I've actually been shocked at the fact you have done so for as long as you have without demanding to be allowed back to work past the computer."

"Anthea insisted that I do as told in this instance," he responds.

"Intelligent Jade daughter," he hears muttered from the fireplace area.

"Tomorrow morning, no earlier than seven am, you may go back to running the human world." the doctor responds eventually after looking thoughtful. "However you are to eat one solid meal per day, your body requires a bit more fruits and vegetables than you have been providing it. If you are going to be unable to get solid meals, speak with Daria about getting some of the to-go bars that she makes, or at least the recipe for them so you can have your own people make them if you prefer."

He considers it for a moment, before shutting down his laptop and nodding, "Alright, Doctor Watson."

"John, if you would, I really am not formal, formals that one over there," the wolf replies as he waves a hand in the general direction of the tallest one in the room.

Nodding once more, he turns heading towards the stairs and going up to smaller bedroom. On his way up he calls Amber updating her as to what was going on. She takes the information and adjusts the planning accordingly, but insists that he takes Thursday off and not return until Friday still. While he is considering arguing with her, he decides not to. It's a Thursday perhaps he can convince Greg to have dinner at his flat so he can speak to him in private about the pack that he has now found himself a part of.


	3. Conversations

Thank you for any form of communication, I love it and it keeps me writing!

Chapter three is in time between chapters 84 and 85 of Seeking

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><p><em>Mycroft's POV<br>_The following morning his assistant delivers a suit for home, though it is one of his bad day loose suits and not quite form fitting. She waits below in the car while he showers and continues to wait as he eats breakfast with the doctor and cobra since the doctor gives him a rather insistent glare. As he is getting ready to leave, the cobra steps out of the flat for a few minutes before returning as silent as a ghost.

Since he is surprised by the doctor's change in temperament towards him, he gives the doctor a curious look, he cocks an eyebrow questioningly.

Shrugging slightly the wolf smirks as he answers the unspoken question, "You're pack now. I do not instinctively wish to send you to your knees in submission so I believe we will get along better." The wolf's smirk changes into a smile as he bids him, "Have a nice day Mycroft."

Bidding good day to both the wolf and the cobra, he nods and leaves the flat, climbing into the back of the car beside his assistant and quickly closing the door.

"Hello sir, I trust you are feeling better," his assistant remarks, her dark eyes leaving her phone to look at him seriously as she studies him.

Nodding once he responds, "I understand that you risked breaking your own laws to help me," his voice is soft, emotions controlled once more, yet another thing to speak with Gregory about.

A light flush colors her mocha colored skin as she inclines her head slightly.

"Thank you," he tells her sincerely.

She nods, "Well sir, here is the notes and schedule for the next few days. I explained that you had an emergency situation to take care of."

"Alright," he replies as he flips through the papers, his eyes skimming the notes with ease and pulling all of the important information out during the ride from his brother's flat to his. "Do you know if the Detective Inspector is working today and what the phase of the moon is?"

A few quick clicks later and she is answering, "He is, right now he is on a double homicide involving two teenager who were brutally beaten and killed three days apart. There are no witnesses and the evidence is nearly non-existent according to the files they have started. He is concerned that this is going to become a serial killer." She tilts her head to the side for a moment before answering his second question, "New moon, is there some importance to that?"

For a few moments he thinks about it frowning, perhaps he should offer to assist Gregory? Perhaps he could take a glance at the crime scene pictures and give a brief summary of information. Not the way that his brother used to, but perhaps he could glance through them, and email the DI helpful hints. At the same time, he is leery of doing so because there seems to be something building between them and he is not certain if that would be over stepping his bounds or not. Giving an internal shake of his head, he turns his thoughts to the other matter at hand. Having a preset date for pack meetings was something that he found important. It was a part of the world he was trying to work his way into though he is not sure that it is going to actually work.

"There are pack meetings on the new moon and full moon," he answers before frowning, "I am not sure what all is appropriate to inform you of."

"As a gifted, I am moderately certain that a great deal of the pack information is to be kept private, however those who still celebrate the old ways track the lunar calendar as well, families gather to relay information during the full moon and celebrate being alive and together during the new moon." She remarks softly, "You now belong to a pack according to those marks on your neck. If you wish I will mark the lunar calendar for you so you may attempt to follow tradition."

He nods once, asking, "Perhaps we can discuss what details you can share at a later date?"

"Of course," she smiles at him, setting the phone aside, "You will probably gain a protector from the pack. Wolves are some of the most protective of the shifter species."

He frowns, consider the fact that only the three have clearance, he did not want a national security situation because of his 'protector'. It was something he would have to speak with Doctor Watson about it.

The car comes to a stop, his assistant remarks, "What happen to your brother is very unusual, suicide rarely occurs in a pack or any of the types of clans. Empath's and mindhealers often catch the problem before it gets to that point and helps them. I almost envy the shifters, in a healthy clan, they are far better run than a human family or gifted clan. They take care of each other and encourage them." She pauses, tilting her head as she looks at him, "Please don't worry, I am certain that it will all work out. You will find yourself having a better support system than you have ever had. Loyal too. Get some rest today, I am sure tomorrow will be busy," she tells him, making a shooing motion at the door.

The hint of a smile lights his features as he nods once and slips out of the vehicle. He is not worried about someone being in his flat, his team would have already cleared it before he arrived for safety reasons. As he heads in his mind continues to whirl. His thoughts are a jumbled mess, far more than he is used to between being accepted into the pack, learning his brother is alive, nearly dying, his assistant's remarks, work, the detective inspector, now understanding what happened with his mother a few short months before, and the emotional upheavals he kept feeling this morning. He might be a genius, but even he had a limit with how much he could deal with in a short period of time.

Once in his flat, he glances around for a bit, feeling out of place as he takes in the fact that this place is not a home, just somewhere to sleep. There are no personal touches.

He closes his eyes for a moment and realizes that he is still tired despite how much sleeping he has done in the last two days. Perhaps just a brief nap.

So he heads to his room, not bothering to undress, just take off his coat, suit jacket, and shoes before he falls into bed. The next time he wakes up, three hours have passed but he feels far better.

Grabbing his phone, he calls the detective inspector.

"Lestrade," the DI answers his phone.

"Good morning Gregory, I was wondering if you would like to have lunch at my flat at one?" he inquires politely, "If you wish to bring the case files, I will take a look at them for you and see if there is any assistance I may offer."

"One? At your flat?" the older man repeats back at him, confirming the time.

"Yes, Detective Inspector," he replies and waits for his response.

It takes a few moments, and he can hear the crime scene team as they are working the area, apparently it took two days to find this one, which meant that they were on day three, and if the pattern continued there would be another attack, "Yeah, I can do that, see you at one."

He is about to reply when he hears Donovan call out, "Lestrade you might want to come see this!" with something a kin to worry in her tone.

"Gotta go, see you at one," the detective inspector quickly states before hanging up.

With a glance at the clock, he confirms that he has just over two and half hours before the older man would be here. It is a Thursday so his cook is off for the day. That is alright, he can cook as long as there is food. After changing into one of his house suits that's not all wrinkled from him sleeping in it, he pads silently to the kitchen to see what there is in the fridge. When there does not appear to be anything of value in the fridge he quickly texts his assistant with a list of groceries that he needs. Less than half hour later they are delivered by his regular driver Timothy.

After going through them, he smiles when he finds that not only what he ordered but also a collection of different fruit and vegetable bars with a note.

-Sir,  
>Your Alpha and Healer has directed that I ensure you eat at least one of these a day to maintain your health, here are some of them for your flat. The rest will be in the office.<br>Amber-

Shaking his head, he sets the fruit and vegetable bars aside, recalling that Doctor Watson said he would be speaking with his assistant about his eating patterns but not sure when he. Wait, not the doctor, the cobra, when he stepped out while he was finishing his breakfast. Of course.

Setting them aside he gets to cooking, making a slightly bigger than average lunch, but according to the report that showed up on his laptop while he was waiting for his groceries Gregory has not actually eaten since the previous afternoon so he would probably appreciate it. The next little bit is spent in silence as he gets the food done and sets the table. He has just finished making fresh coffee when he hears the knock at the door.

Smiling slightly, he pads over and opens the door, letting the older man in.

"Good afternoon, Gregory, please come in. Lunch has just been placed on the table," he greets the older man, accepting the file as he steps in the flat.

Opening it up and glancing at it as he glides over to the table, he has a pretty good idea of what is happening based on just the few pictures he has already seen. Once he is done eating he will finish checking it and tell the detective inspector what he has found.

"Thanks for inviting me Mycroft," the older man states as the two of them settle into their sets, after taking a sip of his coffee he continues, "You're a godsend some days."

He merely smiles in response, setting the file down to be finished shortly.

"So I noticed a set of swirling blue-silver marks on your neck, welcome to the pack mate." The detective inspector states with a big smile before he starts eating, in between bites he asks, "How'd that come about?"

After reviewing the last few days carefully he responds, "I was injured when I was still a field agent some years back, the injury had unforeseen complications, when the doctors at the hospital were unable to assist Amber went to Doctor Watson to enlist his assistance. He agreed and if I wished to know why or how, he said I had to belong to the pack, which he then invited me to join." He explains softly, still a bit overwhelmed.

"Well it's great," the silver-haired man exclaims, "Now you can ask me anything you want about the pack and I can answer without having to worry about our privacy laws."

He smiles at how excited the older man is. "I would appreciate a lesson in pack hierarchy, is it like a traditional wolf pack?" he inquires drawing on his middle school science lessons.

"Somewhat, our pack is a bit different then most because there are more than just one species. John's the alpha, at the head of the pack, his betas or second in command are his sister Harry who deals mostly with the original Watson pack wolves, and Jacob who deals with the military pack, Baskerville, and the Devon pack wolves, plus is the one who relays any directives that are needed to the rest of the pack, sometimes through Harry. Not all the wolves like answering to a falcon." He pauses to take a long drink of his coffee before frowning into the mug, "Is there more in the kitchen?"

"Of course, I will get it if you would like," he answers, considering those details and curious who this Jacob is since it has been Eric he has seen assisting the wolf the most.

"Nah, I got it," the older man responds as he gets up and pours himself another, as he comes back to the table he returns to explaining, "The gammas are Sandra Watson and Briar, they are some of the oldest wolves in the pack and advice the alpha. The Watson pack actually has a nu in the form of Eric." He frowns for a moment before remarking, "Actually I am not sure what all Eric does past being a nu, I know he is the head of intelligence and that he is the head of the protection, but as a Tracker he is also a member of the lambda like myself. You'll probably get along great with Eric and his son Aidan, both are genius like you and…" his voice trails off, his eyes closing for a moment. "I'm sorry."

He nods once, understanding exactly what he was about to say, "It is alright, I had a discussion with Doctor Watson about my brother last night after he accepted me into the pack." He does not know why the detective inspector was not told his brother is still a live, however he is determined that there must be some sort of reason and will maintain his silence about it. Particularly if it is in order to keep his brother safe.

"I bet that was a bit tense," the older-man remarks.

"Eric is not the second?" he queries.

Shaking his head, his guest replies, "No, he's a cobra, nearly everyone who is not a pup or part of the military pack is terrified of him, to be honest, he scares me too. He's the shadow second, the one that everyone except John answers too, out of fear and John does not maintain his pack in fear, if Eric is the one giving orders it because something is going very wrong."

"Hmmm," he remarks, considering that fact. Now that he was done eating, he turns his attention to the file. The next few minutes he checks the file and scans everything before he closes it and offers it back to the detective inspector. "You are looking for a white man of thirty-five to forty years of age, with a daughter that is the approximate same age as the victims, he is attacking men who try to pick her up after work, beating them because he has uncontrollable rage. If you check the strip club four blocks away from your second victim you will find the daughter and father. She is unaware of her father's actions." He then rattles off the rest of the information which the detective inspector quickly writes down in his note pad before checking his watch.

"I hate to eat and run, but I got to get back, thank you greatly! This will be very useful information. Hopefully we can get it closed up by morning." The detective inspector tells him tiredly.

He inclines his head bidding the older man, "Have a good afternoon Gregory."

"You too, get some rest, the first forty-eight hours after joining a pack is very tiring because your body is adapting to the new energy source in it." The older man tells him as he walks over to the door, "Have a good day Mycroft."

Nodding once, he sets to cleaning up the dishes, placing them in the kitchen and putting the leftovers, not that there is much in the fridge, he may eat them for dinner if he is hungry then.

Once he is done with that he heads into the second bedroom that he has converted into an office, and gets on his computer. While he knows that he should not try to find his brother, it is a compulsion he just cannot fight, and he wants to get just one look at him to know he is really alright.

Two hours later he hears his front door bang open, and the impression of anger floods the flat.

_What the hell do you think you're doing?_ A very pissed off cobra demands as he is bodily lifted off his chair. When he actually looks at the cobra, he is surprised to see that while he looks mostly human, he is also more snake like with a large cobra's hood fanned out.

"Tech, drop the human, I'm not Spathi but I can break a hold too," a second male voice states.

"Come one scaly, drop the human, you're normally better mannered than this," a third voice remarks.

_Be happy John has forbidden me from wiping your mind of anything to do with your brother,_ the furious cobra hisses in his mind as he drops him. _Do it again and you will regret it._

"Tech," the second growls again.

"Mycroft, these are your guards from the den that one is Trace, the other is Damian, I've bound them to silence under blood oath for anything not den related that they hear since I determined that you would be nervous about it." the cobra hisses aloud, waving a hand at first one than the other, "They are part of the sub-den from the military. One of them will always be nearby."

Without another word the cobra turns on his heel and leaves, the two other shifters sighing and sharing a look.

"He's very protective of our Doc, I've only seen him fan like that when something threatens the Doc." The one identified as Trace states.

"As I am the more diplomatic brother I will be primary," Damian tells him, "However I will only be visible when needed. The rest of the time, it is unlike you will be aware of me. There is a strong chance that Tech will assign Chiclet as your night watcher so that we can switch between the two of us without wearing out. I would not be surprised if he also assigned Rogue as your traveling guard once he is done training him."

Blinking, he inquires, "Why?"

"You're the only one in the pack that is in a dangerous position besides Doc," Trace answers him, smiling lightly he states, "Beside's Doc wouldn't be able to take any more loss of family right now, just because the two of you are not close does not make it less so. You've already had an occasional watcher when our worlds crossed."

Damian chuckles, "I wouldn't put it past Tech to go enlist a few shifters from the military," the dark haired man gives a quick shake of his head, "If you need anything, just say fighter and whichever one of us is on duty will appear."

He nods, and the both of them vanish, leaving the flat a lot quieter than when they had entered.

Settling back at his desk, his mind returns to the thoughts of the pack he is now a part of and what all it means. The idea that he has been assigned shifter guards intrigues him, makes him question why, and how that will affect things. Perhaps he should speak with Layard, see if he is actually part of a pack or not and if he has pack guards as well. With that in mind he sends an email to Amber, asking her arrange an appointment with Layard next week some time.

His mind is still whirling with all of the information as he processes it. It is going to be a long night, a very long night.

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><p>-S: Thanks for the reviews! Mycroft will definitely be learning a lot more about the shifter world, some of it very surprising to him.<p> 


	4. First Full Moon

Thank you for any form of communication, I love it and it keeps me writing!

Chapter four is the beginning of chapter 85 of Seeking

Tumblr about my stories: JaimiStoryTeller

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><p><em>Mycroft's POV<em>  
>There is sixteen days between when he is unofficially accepted into the pack and the next full moon. As he now drives to the pack house he reflects on them and the events that they held.<p>

Day one was a bit much, his mind almost in overload the entire day due to learning his brother is alive and the connection he can now feel to the pack. It is a most distracting feeling, particularly since he can focus on a particular piece of that connection and find himself feel the very base emotions of the person on the other end. The only ones he is able to easily identify is Doctor Watson, Tech, one who feels a lot like Tech and he thinks is Aidan from what Gregory has said, Gregory and his daughters, and a female who is a lot like Doctor Watson.

He probably had not made the best choice when he had tried to find his brother. But he had such a hard time believing that the cobra was correct and he would be unable to find him. Of course he had not expected the cobra's reaction. For someone so thin and young looking he was surprisingly strong. Past that, as much as he hates to admit it, there had been a thrill of fear that coursed through his body though he had not acknowledge it until after the taller man had dropped him.

His wolf guard actually stayed outside the flat when he was home, allowing him his privacy to which he was thankful though he still wondered how he had acquired guards. Was he really considered family to the doctor? He would have to ask Gregory about that the next time they spoke.

Day two had been long. He had spent most of it catching up on paperwork and files. Along with a few brief meetings with other minor officials in other departments that report to him. Thursday is normally report day, since he was out for Thursday, they were doing it late. Each of the minor officials offered him politely worded well wishes without asking what the situation was. It our line of work, situations come up and it is best to just wish the other party well without actually asking what the problem was.

Twice his PA had insisted he eat one of the fruit and vegetable bars that had been sent with her. The fruit bar he was alright with, it tasted like peaches and apricots, the vegetable bar on the other hand was a bit too celery like for his tastes. Hopefully other vegetable bars would not taste like that because he would have to find a way to discretely get rid of them.

Day three was a Saturday but there were problems going on Mexico. Apparently there had been a mass of criminals who had turned themselves in. normally that would not be a cause for him to be involved but several had been on a list of men that were suspected of working for Moriarty and others off of the worst narcotic dealers lists. A few of which had originally been British citizens and were returned to be London, hence the reason for him being pulled into the situation.

Day four was a continuation of day three with nothing massive happening. Unless one counted that unfortunate business with Peter Cruddas, which was not something he really had to deal with, just keep an eye on. MI5 was already dealing with the intelligence involving that little political issue.

Day five was Monday. His first and longest appointment of the day was with Layard. Why Amber had scheduled it first when he would have to postpone thinking about the information he does not know. What he does know is he is rather thankful for the fact the older man understands immediately what the meeting is about. Even stranger is the fact that he can see silvery-blue marks on the other man's neck and shoulders, along with the hint of a mark on his wrist.

His suspicion that the other politician was a shifter was correct. He was an alpha wolf, with ties to the royal family who are all human, not a single shifter in their tree. Even more interesting was the fact the older man was the head of the wolf council of the U.K., another thing for him to learn about apparently. However he was surprised when the older man states that the pack he has joined is the strongest in the U.K. and one of the strongest in Eastern Europe. Food for thought, that is for sure.

The rest of the conversation had gone smoothly, with the two discussing how this development would affect his position. He had also asked the older man about the fact he was assigned protectors just to get chuckled at. A large part of him had bristled at that, he did not need hand-outs. So Layard had explained it was common practice that those in dangerous jobs would have one to four protectors who were trained for just that practice, apparently his PA waiting outside the office was his primary guard but apparently his driver was a guard as well.

Day six is Tuesday and besides being a lot of meetings between different minor and major political players in Assad and Syrian situation. Assad had agreed to a cease-fire six days prior, now it was a matter of seeing if that cease-fire could actually be put into play and even work. It was not something he was confident would actually work.

Day seven is a continuation of day six, particularly since he never went back to his flat to rest, instead worked right on through until some of the issues are resolved or at least resolved enough that the minor officials connected to them can actually handle them.

Amber insists on feeding him more of those bars. He has discovered that he likes the peach-apricot, berry mixed, banana-lemon-lime, and cantaloupe-honeydew. From the vegetable bars he discovers he likes the bell pepper-tomato and buttery acorn squash ones, but cannot stand the potato-maze or any of the ones with celery in it. Those he takes one or two bites of before trashing them, only his annoying PA insists on giving him a different one to replace the trashed one, asking which flavors he is willing to eat and recording them.

Day eight is full of paperwork in the morning but he makes sure that he is done before the afternoon. He does not wish to miss his regularly scheduled dinner with the Detective Inspector, though he had gotten a text that afternoon stating it would be at Gregory's house so they could talk without worry. It was a very interesting conversation about the regular aspects of the pack, a more in-depth look its structure, plus a charming session of questioning. He was surprised when he realized that Sophia could now smell his pack connection. Even more surprising is when she had fallen asleep on the sofa beside him, resting her head against his leg as she did so. It left him thinking about the fact he had once desired a family and never tried to find or make one due to his political position.

Day nine was dull. The vast majority of it was spent on more paperwork related to days six and seven.

Day ten Amber ordered him to do something relaxing for a few hours. Apparently she thinks he is stressing himself. Apparently the situation was not dire enough to pull an over nighter. Discovered that he liked pineapple-orange fruit bars, hates the lettuce flavored vegetable bars. Really, lettuce and celery, who puts those as primary flavors in food bars?

Day eleven sees him taking a plane to a conference to deal with the Syrian situation some more. Of course he cannot say where that conference was at or who was there.

That lasted through days twelve, thirteen, and fourteen, with him getting back to the office early the morning of the fifteenth day only to be sent to his flat by his concern PA who is not happy with the fact his coloring is off. In an act of defiance on her part, his PA insists that he takes the rest of the night off, only work the morning from home the following day, and then take the weekend off. He really insists that he cannot do that but she manages to get Layard to agree with her, and so he is sent home which is really not where he wants to be.

On the plus side, it is a Thursday, after he catches a few hours sleep he can have dinner with Gregory or perhaps the entire Lestrade family. Since the loss of his brother he had grown closer to the older man, and he enjoyed being around the girls. He was actually surprised by the middle daughter, she was very quiet but when she did speak it was nearly always important or insightful for someone of her age. It was an overall pleasant evening, he enjoyed the family dynamics and spent part of the night in awe after he watched Charlotte and Sofia shift into their jackal forms to start playing with each other. Somehow he ended up having the small jackal fall asleep on his lap much like she had the week before in human form. A small part of him had felt guilty when he moved to leave because she seemed so comfortable but Charlotte back in her human form had taken the little girl up to bed.

It was the first time he had actually seen a shifter shift. Prior to that he had thought that the shifters could only take on partial traits, like how Tech has scales and a folded cobra's hood. He was still having a hard time believing that they became the animal type they matched with. Even more surprising was the fact he could see the human intelligence in the shift, despite their forms they retained their human minds.

Gregory had offered him a ride to the pack meeting but he had declined, choosing to drive instead.

As he pulls up to the old house, he is struck by the fact it felt more like a home this time then the last time he was there and it had felt like he was the outsider. Of course it had not helped that he was there for a memorial for his brother. Sherlock…

When he gets out of the car, his eyes sweep the area noticing that there are seven other vehicles already here. Inside he can hear people but it does not seem to be as many the memorial, but then he is fairly early compared to what time he was told the actual meeting was.

He is in the middle of considering whether he is supposed to knock or just walk in when Mrs. Watson opens the door and smiles at him, "Ah, Mycroft isn't it? Welcome!" ushering him in she repeats, "Welcome, come in, come in. John always was a bit slow with family members. No need to stand on formality. Now do you prefer Mycroft or another version of the name?"

He blinks once, eyes washing over her as he catches up. "Mycroft, thank you," he answers as he steps through the door.

She smiles warmly at him, "Would you like a tour or just to discover where everything is on your own? Dinner will be in the same room as it was when you were here for the memorial," there is sadness in her tone when she says memorial but otherwise not. "The pack meeting will also be in there as it is the only room that can hold the entire pack since its growth."

Tapping his umbrella once, distractedly he answers, "If you do not mind, I would prefer to learn it on my own."

Happily nodding, she replies, "That is perfectly acceptable, feel free to go anywhere within the house, though on the upper floors stay out of the rooms with shut doors."

Patting his arm once, she wanders off greeting people as they enter or as she spots them, taking a moment to stop and speak with several of them as well.

Giving a subtle shake of his head he decides to drift from room to room to see what differences there are between this meeting and the last time he was here. While he prides himself on being the Iceman, it is difficult to stand in the ballroom converted into a large dining hall where the primary memorial for his brother had been held.

He is just getting ready to head to the library when an older gentleman that he identifies as Doctor Watson's father looks at him and growls. "What the hell is another human doing here? This one is not bonded to anyone within the pack!"

Turning his attention to the older man, he adopts his most Iceman expression and proceeds to politely rip him to shreds. The doctor's father tries to get the Doctor to stop him, but the doctor just smiles.

When he is done, the doctor looks at him and states, "Thanks Mycroft," before he drifts off a smile curving the younger man's lips. Interesting.

He had just gotten to the library and started browsing through the books when Mouse appears beside him, "Hello, I'm supposed to tell you dinners done. Figured it would also be a good time to see if you want history tutoring or not?"

"Thank you for informing me of dinner," he answers, "I do not think so at this time. However a lesson in customs might be of use."

She smiles, tilting her head to the side, "I only know the basics, mice are rather informal past the bows, however Aidan or Eric could teach you any of the oldest traditions. Though I would suggest Aidan more than Eric," a mischievous smile curves her lips, "He's easier to deal with, though no less formal. Not as moody as his sire."

He inclines his head, accepting that advice, "Then I will seek Eric for lessons."

Chuckling, "Well that should be interesting to watch, I'm not actually sure I would be willing to ask crabby for lessons," she pauses tilting her head to the side, "Actually that might be best, if you are anything like Sherlock than you will be fine. Those two worked a perfectly good way of dealing with mutual issues."

Shrugging, she motions to the door and walks with him out of the library and to the dining area. "Just sit wherever you would like, don't be surprised if some of the pack, mostly the military and Baskerville pack members to come to meet you." She smiles at him briefly, "When the meeting begins he will call you forward to join the pack formally. That's not done until the majority of those here have finished eating." Pausing for a moment she grins before commenting, "And dinner is as much as you can eat as long as there is food on the tables. The nest mothers adore making food for everyone."

He nods, recalling that it was a buffet style. Silently, he joins the line for food, grabbing a plate and waiting patiently, surprised at how calmly the children in line are behaving. Several times he glances around for the Lestrade family, mildly shocked to not see them yet. It is also surprising the wide variety of choices. An even more surprising is the fact is the majority of the choices are healthy. After he has selected his food, he finds a quiet spot to sit down, mostly so he can watch everyone here and get a reading on them.

He is surprised that all of the family units he has seen are solid, there is not one case adultery or couple who looked like they were having serious marriage problems. Actually the only family issue he can see is between Doctor Watson and the man he is certain is his father. Pretty much everyone else is seems to get along fine with their family members. Interesting, very interesting, also very unusual, he cannot recall ever seeing a group this big without family problems before of some variety. Was the rift between them due to the fact that the son is leader of the pack and not the father?

"Hello, you're new, I'm Li Xia," a young golden brown Chinese girl according to her mild accent greets him as she settles into the seat near him.

Inclining his head politely, he replies in Mandarin, "A pleasure to make you acquaintance, I am Holmes Mycroft."

A brilliant smile lights her face as she replies in kind, "Another who understands, that is wonderful, I speak English more than this, but it is nice to use this as well. How are you Mr. Holmes?"

"Alright thank you, yourself?" he answers, surprised that this British wolf pack has such obvious outlanders in it. His mind quickly cataloguing what Gregory had said the previous night about the pack being divided into four parts. That means this girl was from Baskerville, he would have to ask Doctor Watson about that, because there was far more going on there then he suspected.

For a few minutes the two of them continue to converse, she points out the different pack members, mentioning something that she finds important about each. Eventually a slightly darker colored man of Asian, probably Chinese as well, descent comes over to the table. He politely introduces himself then tugs her away much to her amusement.

Finishing his plate, he considers getting a second but decides against it. Instead he heads to the water buckets for the dishes, carefully placing them in there respective spots. He is getting ready to head back to his seat when Sofia comes bounding up to him with her endless energy.

"You're here!" she squeals happily, "Come sit with us, come sit with us," she chants as she tugs him towards the seat he had been at just a few minutes before.

"Sorry Mycroft, I told her you would be back, we got here just as you got up, but she didn't want to listen." Gregory states as the two of them reach the table.

"It is alright," he murmurs, shocking himself when he really means it. Of course he had already realized that he liked all three of the girls.

"Hello Mycroft," the middle girl states softly as she takes the seat in front of him.

"Hullo," the oldest girl remarks as she scans the room looking for someone, probably the boy that Gregory had mentioned was courting her.

While he knows seventeen is not too young to date, he still questions the fact that she is dating with the intent to be married. What if they found that they rushed into things? He would have to ask about the bond situation that the doctor had mentioned. Perhaps he should take Mouse up on her offer for lessons, though it felt odd to be considering lessons at his age.

For several minutes he spends time speaking with the Lestrade family before a slender Middle Eastern looking man calls everyone to attention. Despite his looks the man's accent is purely British, so he must come from a mixed household. Quickly everyone in the room falls silent, the vast majority of them moving from the back of the room to the middle of the room, shifting the tables out of the way so everyone can bring up their chairs as desired.

He must be Jacob, his mind quickly supplies as he recalls what Gregory had said about pack leadership.

Once the shuffling is done, Doctor Watson steps to the forefront, making a few announcements that he files away for later before calling his name. Standing, he strides to the front, unfastening his sleeve as he goes because he determines this will be a repeat of what he had done at the flat.

When he is directly in front of the smaller man, the doctor starts speaking again, "Mycroft Holmes, do you accept the responsibilities and boons of the pack?"

"I do," he states clearly, wishing that someone would have filled him in on how this was going to occur.

The doctor smiles at him, offering his left arm with clean skin which causes his eyes to widen slightly, "Welcome to the pack," _I am hiding my bondmark since the vast majority of the pack does not know he lives,_ the shifter announces while also speaking directly to him.

He repeats the actions of pressing their wrists together. A tingle of awareness goes through him but it is nothing like the shock of the first time, the overwhelming force of power. When the doctor releases his arm the beta offers his arm, and he repeats the gesture with as well, before doing so with the female version of the doctor and the cobra. The biggest thrill of power he feels is from that cobra who gives him a speculative look before inclining his head. He has been dismissed often enough to understand that's what it was.

As he makes his way back to his seat, he listens as the doctor bids everyone, "Please welcome Mycroft with the same courtesy as each of you receives. He is great cat like, touch only when bid."

There is a chorus of "Alright." "Sir." and "Alpha." throughout the room.

Not long after that, the doctor bids everyone that the meeting is closed and he notices that it becomes more of a social time. The dishes and what little leftovers there are, are cleared away, while fresh drinks including hot teas and coffee is set out for everyone to drink while they visit. Where before it seemed everyone stayed in their family group or with close friends, now the people were mingling freely, splitting off to visit with people they hadn't seen in a few weeks. Charlotte and Sofia quickly bid him good evening before taking off to join the others of their respective ages while Madeline announces that she is going to the library to get away from all of the noise.

When they are alone he inquires, "What did he mean by 'great cat like'?"

Smiling, his companion answers, "He was telling them that you don't want a lot of people touching you without being invited to. Wolves are very tactile creatures, they are some of the touchest shifters out there, right up there with mice and crows, the funny thing is, pretty close to the entire top of the pack is non-wolf, in a wolf pack." The older man pauses for a moment, tilting his head thoughtfully before stating, "Though I don't think our pack actually counts as a wolf pack any more with so many non-wolves in it."

"Can you tell me about the Baskerville shifters?" he queries after a few minutes, now noticing that there was seven who appeared to be of Chinese origin, five who appeared to be Indian in origin, one German girl by her movement and features, and four from South Africa.

"Come on, let's go find a quiet place where most of those in here will not hear," Gregory answers, standing and heading towards the drink table to collect something before leaving the room.

They quickly pass through the halls until they get to a small longue well away from the rest of the pack.

"The majority of the wolves of the Watson pack do not know what happened or why their alpha chose to accept a bunch of non-wolves, they just know they were rescued from a bad situation." his companion tells him before going on to describe the situation that the military pack and Sherlock had dealt with the previous summer. Explaining everything from how they got the case to how they dealt with it to how the primary reason they were there tried to escape only to accidently kill himself. The amount of corruption that is revealed has him reevaluating the protocols in place to keep that very problem down. Several times he asks for clarification to make sure he has not missed a detail.

When they are done speaking he is shocked to see it is nearly eleven pm, and Gregory states he needs to collect his girls for the night, bidding him good night.

"Well Mycroft, how are you?" the doctor inquires a few minutes later as he appears in the door way.

"I am processing all of the information I have been provided tonight. I had not realized that Baskerville had become so corrupt." He states in answer.

"It's been dealt with, the new garrison will make sure that there are no more testing on shifters, gifted, or human without prior approval from the government of all three species."

He nods distractedly, still trying to figure out who he was going to roast for allowing it to happen to begin with.

"Do you need a ride home?" the wolf queries after several moments of silence.

"No, but I will be leaving now, please bid the mistress of the house goodnight for me," he states calmly as he stands and heads to the door.

Smiling slightly, the shorter man nods once, "Alright, have a good night Mycroft."

He leaves with a single minded focus, making sure that he has his umbrella before he goes and very happy that the roads are mostly dead between the pack house and his flat since he is not paying as close attention as he probably should. When he gets home, he quickly showers before going to bed. He is more tired than he thought he was.

Several hours later he is awoken to a member of his security team giving a shout and a knock at the door.


	5. Being Courted

Any comments would be greatly appreciated, thank you to any one for any form of communication, I love it and it keeps me writing!

This chapter takes place during chapter 85 of Seeking

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><p><em>Mycroft's POV<em>  
>Getting to his feet, he quickly grabs the knife that he keeps within reaching distance as he makes his way to the door where he discovers his government guards attempting to pen a small female down only she keeps moving out of reach, her eyes wide. In her hands is a small box.<p>

Opening the door slowly he demands, "What is going on here?" in his iciest tone.

His two guards freeze for a moment, during which time the small female stops directly before him offering the box. Curiously, he arches a single eyebrow at her.

"You are Mycroft Holmes? I'm supposed to deliver this box, as tradition dictates only the person who it is for may touch it, not them," she tells him with scorn. "I can smell a wolf, ask them if you are worried." The second statement is said softly so only he can hear her.

"Fighter?" he states questioningly.

_She is speaking the truth. Courting gifts are only touched by the courter who selects it, the messenger who delivers, and the courted who receives it._ The wolf explains without appearing, _There are entire services who are oath bound to protect the courting gifts to ensure that they are not tampered with. Most of those services are run by packs of mice or crows, the young lady before you is a mouse from one of type of services. _

He inclines his head, "I am," and holds out his hand in order to accept the box.

She sets it in his hand, politely bows, and bolts without another word.

Softly, so his guards do not hear he queries, "Can you explain the tradition further?" while aloud he orders, "At ease," for the two guards before going back in.

_I'll bridge the link so you do not have to keep asking questions aloud, which part needs further explanation? _The wolf answers, he is certain that the wolf is Damian.

_Why are there messenger services, and what do you mean courting?_ He specifies, thinking of his to primary curiosities.

_Traditionally when one shifter or shifter-child desires to court another or a human, they are given gifts. This is done for the formation of longer term relationships, often done between mates as a way to show that the mate is selected by choice and not just because of the bonding mark._ The wolf explains, _Since potential mates are not always from the same pack, or even the same species, there are a set of traditions that dictate how to do the courting. Often times, one of the pair will express their interest through either gifts or flowers, occasionally both. Since scheduling is not always compatible or the potential mates may not live close by, the special messenger services were designed. Each messenger sworn under a blood oath to allow none to touch the gifts except for those they are to be delivered to. To attack a messenger draws a Tracker into the situation. Since Trackers are judge, jury, and execution, few wish to do that. _The wolf pauses for a moment before remarking, _Traditionally there will be a gift every day at the same time. You may wish to warn your human guards that there will be another messenger tomorrow with another gift. _

_What happens if I am not available to deliver the gift to? _He asks since he knows there are times he is called out of the country.

_Then the messenger will hold on to it until you are unless the contract states otherwise at which point they will return the courter._ Damian states evenly.

_Thank you_, he remarks before changing his focus to the small box in his hands. He feels the link vanish a moment later.

Opening the box, he is mildly surprised to find a small collection of cakes from his favorite bakery. There are only three people who that information and he cannot see either of them courting him, so that leaves number three. Despite that, the idea startles him. After all, he has been flirting with the detective inspector for years in his way, why would the DI decide to court him now, what is different? Was the DI waiting for him to belong to the pack? That could not be it because he had flirted prior to his joining the pack, though he had still been married. Of course nothing would have come of that early flirting because the DI was married. Perhaps he had been waiting to not be married? But he had not been married for at least a year. Then what? He would have to pay close attention next time he sees him.

When he goes to work Monday he will notify Amber of the gift delivery so that she can notify the guards that there will be more of them.

While eating a quick breakfast of oatmeal and fruit he gets a call from his PA calling him back to work. He showers, dresses, grabs the box of cakes, and heads out the door to the waiting black Mercedes. Inside his assistant waits, her phone attached to her hand, and her gaze focused.

After the car door is shut she looks up at him and questions, "What was the box that was delivered this morning?"

He opens it up, showing her, while stating, "Apparently courting gifts."

"Really? I can hope from that charming detective inspector." She remarks as she looks up from her phone, a small smile on her lips.

"I believe so, though I am at a loss as to why," he remarks as he looks through the files that she has waiting for him including a schedule of the day's meetings and reports.

Frowning, she asks, "Why? He has been flirting for years. He has waited the traditionally dictated year since the end of his last relationship to begin courting for a new one. Shifter and shifter-children are a traditional group. Even those who do not hold with many traditions tend to keep the courting and mating traditions. I wish it was the same with the gifted."

It is his turn to frown as his looks up, "Another set of traditions? Hmmm, I shall need to arrange a time to discuss this with the cobra sooner than I thought." He mutters before going back to his paper work. It was going to be a long and possibly grueling day, not that this surprising. Amber had wanted him to take today off but had called him while he was in the middle of breakfast which meant it had to be a severe problem.

Sure enough it was, apparently the Syrian situation had gotten worse rather than better and some of the ones who were supposed to be solving it were making it worse. How typical. It appeared he was going to have a long and frustrating day of dealing with the goldfish and fools. Sadly, it actually ends up being two days, nearly three before he is finally able to go home and sleep. During that time he happily munches on the cakes, enjoying every single bite much to the amusement of his PA along with eating a few of those fruit bars.

Very early Monday morning he finally makes it home. Besides striping down and quickly throwing on a pair pajama bottoms, he does nothing before collapsing into bed. Just a little bit after nine am there is a knock at the door, he groggily gets out of bed, grabs a house robe, and heads to the door. The same woman who had delivered his first box is standing on the door step to his flat, scowling at his guards with narrow eyes, a back pack thrown across her shoulder.

"Can I help you?" he inquires, voice soft but a bit cold. He is too tired to try for polite at the moment.

The woman does a partial bow before tugging the back pack off of her shoulder and pulling two packages out. "Is there a particular time that will be best for delivering these?" she inquires as she offers the two boxes, one which is long and thin, the other which is just a small square.

"I normally leave for work at seven am, if you are here five minutes before, I will be waiting on the door step unless I am called in early." He replies, ignoring the noises that the human guards make and the chuckling in his head from the wolf guard.

Once more she partially bows confirming, "Five minutes prior to seven am. As long as I have the package at that time it shall be delivered," before she bids him, "Good day," and takes off, sending glares at both of his guards as she goes.

Shaking his head, he retreats into the flat, heading to his table in order to open them. He could deduce what is in them, but he is intentionally not, enjoying the idea that someone is trying to give him gifts. Except for a single birthday present or Christmas present per family member, he does not recall gifts being a regular part of his life when he was growing up. After the car accident and his mother had started changing. Then, after father's death there were even more changes and less presents.

Sitting down, he decides to open the bigger box first, only slightly chuckling when he discovers a set of ties in a variety of sizes all done with the same golden, silver, and rich brown with a geometric pattern he does not recognize but instinctively knows has meaning. He will have to ask Gregory about the meaning later. Putting the box of ties aside, he lifts the second, small box and opens it carefully. Within it is a slender tie clip of copper with a polished and oval shaped carnelian in the center. He would have to look into the meaning of the stone and metal to see if there was any special meaning to it as well.

He lifts the tie clip, deciding to wear it with today's dark brown suit.

Since he was now awake, he followed his normal morning routine before calling for his car. It should be a moderately easy day at the office and while his gift would not be seen, he would know it's there, giving him a reason to smile when alone.

"Shouldn't you still be abed?" His PA demands as he slides into the back seat of the car.

A smile tugs at his lips as he replies, "Perhaps, but I am awake so I might as well work now."

She shakes her head, sighing softly, "I have acquired more of the fruit and vegetable bars you enjoyed from your pack healer. I was startled to learn she is a viper."

Nodding he responds, "Most the upper management of the pack is non-wolves." Shrugging he continues, "It is my understanding that the pack is unusual in being so mixed without it being through bonds of family."

"It is very unusual, but then, Doctor Watson is not the typical type of alpha." She remarks with a nod before going back to looking at her phone.

The rest of the ride is silent as he looks over his files, which are just finished and edited forms of the last few days work. He is also scheduled for several meetings next day that he can prepare for. Upon getting to the office the two of them head to the office first to work for a few hours. When he would have skipped lunch a few hours later, Amber puts a couple of those bars out for him to eat. After his quick lunch, one more emergency meeting is called about Syrian. Once he gets the diplomat who called the meeting to calm down, it goes smoothly. It is a few hours after dinner time when they finally get done with the emergency meeting, so Amber brings him tea and sandwiches to eat while he finishes his paperwork before heading home.

The next morning he is at the door five minutes before when he told the mouse he would be there. He keeps telling himself that he is not excited at the idea of a gift showing up, but he knows that is a lie. The idea that someone is willingly courting him is quite different and makes him smile when there is no one else around. The very few relationships he had attempted as a teenager had all been with him pursuing them, never had it been the other person pursuing him.

At exactly five minutes to, the small female comes walking up to the door so that she is knocking before the minute hand moves. A part of him wants to smile at the obvious sarcasm, but he doesn't, instead he opens the door and greets her.

"Good morning."

She nods once, replying, "Morning sir, here is your package," before she turns and leaves, ignoring his guards since they are not trying to stop her this time.

Perhaps he should find out her name, he thinks to himself as he heads inside with the small box. Since it is not a very big box, he realizes it has to be some form of personal adornment. Settling into his chair, he carefully opens it to find a collar bar of brass with a spiral design on it. Most would never be able to tell it was not gold unless they looked at it very carefully. It is another item that can be useful and decorative.

So the pattern was set. In the mornings he would wait the delivery mouse's arrival, open his gift in the privacy of his flat, put it away, and then go to work. The fifth day he had asked the mouse her name, which apparently startled her according to the look on her face, before she had answered Nadia. Following that he would greet her by name, as she would do for him. She also left him a phone number he could call or text for days that he would not be home or in case he wanted it delivered elsewhere she could.

They ended up canceling that first Thursday after the detective inspector began the courting process. Apparently the case that Gregory had was rather brutal, while he was dealing with the new Syrian resolution and treaty that had been signed.

The following week they actually manage to schedule their regular dinner in, though it is an hour later than they normally would and at the Lestrade home.

When he shows up just a few minutes before when they are scheduled, he is surprised to see that Gregory's vehicle is not in the driveway. He is considering calling when the front door opens and Gregory steps out onto the porch, waving at him before stepping back in and leaving his front door slightly open in invitation. Turning his car off, he gets out, grabs his umbrella, and heads inside.

Once within the house, his gaze sweeps the entry way while he removes his over coat. That same feeling of home seems to fill everything. The house itself smells like cooking beef and vegetables, with a slightly fruity scent to it.

"It smells delicious," he murmurs to the older man as he enters the area between the kitchen and dining room.

Turning towards him, Gregory smiles, "Thank you, the girls are over to my sisters for the afternoon, according to Chare so I can have a proper discussion with you," he shakes his head with a chuckle, "Silly girl forgets that I have done this before."

A soft chuckle escapes him as he nods in understanding. It is rather common for teenagers to attempt to give their parents and adults advice.

Tilting his head, the older man looks at him thoughtfully for a moment before stating, "Should I have asked before sending courting gifts, both of my daughters with a sense of scent have assured me that they would be welcome." He pauses, giving a small shake of his head, "Of course I planned to do so anyways…" his voice trails off.

For one of the rare times in his life, he can feel his cheeks heating up as he thinks of the little gifts he had received over the last two weeks. They were all well taken and appreciated. No one else had ever thought to court him. He was expected to court them. "Both daughters?" he repeats, thinking he must be referring to the oldest and youngest.

Nodding, the detective inspector remarks, "Both, though more Sofia than Chare, apparently Sofia thinks I am being too slow."

Another chuckle escapes him, "I have enjoyed it. No one has ever sent me gifts before. However, the first few times sent the guards into a tizzy."

Grinning the older man remarks, "Would have been worse had I picked a jackal deliver service like my dad was prompting me to do. I figured the mice were better, besides, the pack has other contracts with their nest so it worked out better." Tilting his head thoughtfully he softly asks, "Would you mind something more eventually occurring between us?"

Giving Gregory one of his rare real smiles he steps up to the slightly shorter man and hesitantly kisses him. Hands fluttering around as he tries to decide where to hold. It has been years since he has kissed anyone and he actually wants this to mean something and not ruin this. Within moment Gregory has shifted to fully face him, hands lifting to cup his jaw and hold him in place as he deepens the kiss. His eyes flutter closed as he continues to kiss the older man back, his own hands coming to wrap around him.

When they finally stop, just resting their foreheads against each other and breathing heavily, his mind is curiously blank. He cannot recall it ever being this focused or quiet. Is this why so many people are willing to kill? This feeling?

He is mildly surprised when Gregory steps back and he realizes that he is pressed against the cupboard. There is a satisfied smile on the older man's face as he pulls dinner out of the oven and sets it on the table.

"Dinner," the older man remarks with a self satisfied smile.


	6. Dinner

Any comments would be greatly appreciated, thank you to any one for any form of communication, I love it and it keeps me writing!

Tumblr about my stories: JaimiStoryTeller

Originally this week was supposed to be dedicated to this alone, however the muses decided to take a prompt and run with it, so I will be alternating between the two of them. For any of you all who enjoys smut with just a touch of plot, you might enjoy it. Sorry its sort of short, this is where it cut off in my head.

Anyways, I hope everyone enjoys!

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><p><em>Greg's POV<em> The kiss between himself and the politician was the kind that changed a person's view on life. if he had been questioning the attraction before now, he was not going to any more. That kiss definitely cleared that up. It was one thing for his daughters to reassure him that the politician wanted him. It was another thing to know for a fact.

Setting their dinner down on the table, he turns to grab the dishes off of the counter before sitting them down on the table. Then he grabs a carafe of orange juice that he had planned for with dinner to place on the table as well. A quick glance at the table tells him that everything he needs is laid out. Motioning to the table he states, "Dinner," as smile curves his lips.

Slowly moving away from the cupboard he was still leaning against, the politician moves over to the table and settling into the seat next to him as he sits down. For a few minutes they are silent as they ach make their plates. Eventually he decides to ask Mycroft if he would be open to being courted for the next six months. At the end of the six months they can evaluate the relationship as is standard for a courting relationship. Of course by tradition he should ask the head of the politician's family within the pack. However since he already knows that John approves of the relationship, he has not asked the wolf about it. Of course if they ever decided to formalize his relationship he would follow the traditions.

Tilting his head to the side he watches the politician for a moment before he inquires, "I know you said that you have been alright with me sending courting gifts for the last two weeks. As tradition dictates, I wish to formally ask your permission to court you for the next six months."

For a minute the younger man thinks about it before nodding his head once slowly, "That is acceptable," he pauses for a moment before querying, "What all will it include?"

Still smiling he replies, "Dinner, small gifts that are mostly delivered daily, though sometimes not on days we have arrangements. Spending time together at either home, yours or mine, or doing something on the town. Officially meeting each other's family." He lists off the common things, mentally chuckling over the fact that they are all things his eldest daughter is currently doing with her cobra.

Again the younger man nods thoughtfully as he smiles one of his rare, real smiles. "That is more than acceptable. Why a six month time limit?"

A slight blush covers his skin as he answers, "We are both adults who have known each other for a while, so I figure that we will know whether we wish to do anything else with our relationship by then." He pauses, thinking about it for a moment before continuing, "At least that's my hope."

"Logical," the politician murmurs then asks, "Is that also a tradition?"

Grinning he shrugs, he can feel his skin flushing a bit more, "Sort of, most view anything short of a year as not long enough. However I figure that we have known each other in one form or another for years," he shrugs one more time, "hence my reasoning for six months."

"Ah," the younger man hums thoughtfully, his stormy eyes focused on him, "During this courting period are shows of affection permissible?"

A huge smile curves his lips as he nods strongly, "Oh yeah. It's even encouraged to test compatibility."

"Good," a blush covers the politician's cheeks as he continues to speak, "I have found myself desiring to repeat it."

He is distracted by the way the younger man's freckles stand out against his pink skin. He is even further distracted by the fact that the auburn-haired man wants to repeat the kissing. Apparently he is not the only one that that kiss was life changing for. That is amazing, truly amazing. It is far more than he had ever hoped for. Falling silent, the two of them continue to eat there dinner. Neither as anything as they consider the discussion so far.

They are just about to done with dinner when the younger man remarks, "Dinner has been excellent, I never would have considered mixing roast with peaches, walnuts, carrots, and onions."

Beaming, he queries, "Do you have room for dessert?"

A curious and heated look enters the younger man's eyes, "What is for dessert?"

Mischievously he replies, "Cinnamon peach cobbler with French vanilla ice cream," he smiles playfully.

"A peachy dinner tonight I see," the younger man returns with his own playful smirk.

"Oh yeah, while not the best type of peaches, it works for tonight," the look he gives the young man makes it very clear what peaches he is referring to.

That blush that had faded from the younger man's skin returns and is even brighter than it had been previously. They have spent years flirting but never as direct as that. Still it feels good to do so and know that something might come of it. That there is something building up between them and there is a possible chance of something happening between them in the future. Again the two of them are quiet while they finish their meal. After they are done with dinner, he cleans up the dishes, only mildly surprised when the younger man helps him. There is not a lot of leftovers, but what there are go into the fridge where he pulls out the cobbler and shoves it into the still warm oven.

Once he has set the timer he is startled to turn around and find himself nearly nose to nose with the politician. There is a determined look in the younger man's eyes as he steps closer so their bodies are nearly touching. Slowly the slightly taller man leans down to press his lips against his. It is soft, explorative, a bit tentative even as if the politician is not certain of himself. Eventually the younger man deepens the kiss as he runs his tongue over his teeth. With a smile he accepts the exploration, enjoying the way the younger man feels pressed up against him, slender fingers cupping his jaw as he holds him in place to kiss him.

The only reason they break apart is the timer for the cobbler goes off.

Breathing heavily the two of them just stare at each other. He is certain that there is a stupid smile on his face but he cannot help it. There is an intense look of concentration on the younger man's face that turns to one of satisfaction.

"Well then, I should get that before it burns," he remarks a bit breathlessly still feeling a bit overwhelmed by how forward his potential mate. Too bad he is a jackal-child and not a jackal, he is fairly certain that if he was actually a shifter he would be Mycroft's mate. Of course if he was a shifter and not a shifter-child he wouldn't have his girls and he would not trade his girls for anything. Well then, it's alright.

"Then you might want to grab it," the politician suggests as he steps backwards.

He smiles, turning to grab the pot holder and pull the pan out of the oven before he turns it off. "The girls actually helped with this, Chare and Madeline prepared it so all I had to do was cook it." Once the cobbler is on the table he grabs the bowls, silverware, and ice cream as well.

The two of them enjoy their dessert, spending nearly all of it flirting in between bites. After dinner and dessert the two of them retreat to the living room where he turns on music and they spend the rest of the evening chatting about whatever comes to mind. It is calm and relaxing, just time spent together. The girls get home somewhere around ten pm, and it is not long after that that Mycroft excuses himself for the night after thanking the girls for the cinnamon peach cobbler.

He walks the younger man to his car, giving him a rather sweet and gentle kiss goodbye before he leaves. When he gets back inside all three daughters are standing expectantly near the door.

"So?" Chare queries, putting a wealth of meaning behind that single word.

"How'd it go?" Madeline demands, hand on hip as she watches him with big eyes.

Bouncing in spot, Sofia barely waits for her sisters to stop talking before questioning, "Did he enjoy dinner? Did you enjoy dinner? Are you going to properly court him? Is he going to be our new second-parent? What about dessert? Did you kiss him besides goodbye?"

Laughing softly, he hugs his girls, pulling all three close to him, "Calm down Sofia, what does your sense of smell tell you?"

She hugs him back as she lifts her head in the air and intentionally sniffs. "You are both happy and smelled sort of like she does when she is in heat." The young girl answers quickly, pointing at her oldest sister who starts blushing.

"There you have it, we both enjoyed dinner and dessert. As for the rest of it, yes I am going to court him, yes I kissed him, no you do not get details, and we will see what happens with the courting before we determine anything with the second parent situation." he answers the girls, primarily his youngest though he knows his other two daughters are curious too. Kissing each daughter's forehead he states, "Its nearly bed time, go get cleaned up so you can go to school tomorrow."

"Alrighty Daddy," Chare answers, before kissing him on the cheek and rubbing hers against his for a moment.

Madeline nods once, a serious expression on her face, "Just be careful Dad, I do not want to see you hurt again like she did." She then quickly hugs him before taking off upstairs after her sister.

"I don't wanna go get ready for bed so I can go to school tomorrow! I want to know how things went with your date with Mr. Mycroft!" his youngest just about wails, despite that she still gives him a hug before muttering, "Goodnight Daddy," and slowly dragging herself up the stairs to her room.

Snorting, he sets to cleaning up what's left of the dishes as he reflects on the evening and how everything went. It was definitely far better than he expected.


	7. Greg's Birthday

This chapter takes place during chapter 85 of Seeking

Tumblr about my stories: JaimiStoryTeller

So the goal is to catch this up before Easter so for Easter I can update Seeking, please leave plenty of reviews to prompt that goal! I greatly appreciate all of them.

Thanks to LadySnape for the sound boarding and help when I floundered!

* * *

><p><em>Greg's POV<br>_The six days following his dinner with Mycroft went in a flash, between work and the girls. He is surprised when on Wednesday both Aidan and Mycroft show up. The two tall men seem to both freeze on the porch, silver eyes and stormy eyes studying each other seriously before the cobra politely inclines his head much to his shock. It is the first time he has seen the younger man pay respects to any male besides John and his father, even with him he had not given that sort of respects paid.

Still, before he has a chance to open the door, his eldest daughter does so, a huge smile on her face.

"You both made it!" she happily exclaims as she pulls the door open, reaching out and tugging the cobra in while motioning to the politician to follow.

He is not certain which one is a bit stiffer, but they both look like they do not understand her energy.

"So you two relax, I promise we don't bite, I gotta go finish dinner," she tells the politician and cobra before turning and just about skipping back to the kitchen.

His middle daughter pops her head out of the kitchen and dining room long enough to flicker her fingers in a quick hello before rejoining her sister.

Chuckling he mutters, "Well that is unexpected," tilting his head politely in his direction the cobra quickly with draws to the kitchen so he turns his attention to the politician, "I thought we were meeting for our regular dinner tomorrow?"

Straightening his tie, the auburn-haired man responds softly, "Charlotte requested my presence tonight in celebration of your birthday since you work on Friday." He pauses for a moment, before querying, "I can leave if you would like?"

He shakes his head smiling, "No, please stay, I just wasn't told the girls were doing something for my birthday, I tend to ignore it normally."

"Not this year! We have a house, and a car that runs really good, she's gone, you're courting someone we wouldn't mind having as a second-parent, and Chare's be courted by her cobra, all is good. So we are celebrating!" his youngest remarks as she comes trotting down the steps from upstairs, "Hi Mycroft!"

"Hello Sofia," the auburn-haired man murmurs politely in response, "Are your classes well?"

She beams at him, pausing just a bit before them to reply, "They are good, I'm passing all of them, and I might be able to skip another year at the end of this year."

"I'm not sure where she gets the intelligence from, none of our blood relatives are as intelligent as she is, but that's alright, we luckily belong to a pack with several geniuses for her to work with." He states rather proudly, quite pleased with his daughter.

The politician nods once, a small smile playing at the edge of his lips.

He hopes that Mycroft realizes he is one of those geniuses he is counting within the pack.

"I'm going to see if Madeline and Chare need any help," his youngest announces before heading into the kitchen.

"Silly girl," he murmurs affectionately, before clearing his throat and inquiring, "Would you like something to drink?"

"Teas almost ready!" he hears from the kitchen, he's moderately certain that it's his oldest.

A moment later the cobra appears in the door way, "The ladies have requested I inform you dinner is done," the younger man remarks softly.

"Thank you Aidan," he replies with a smile to the younger man who nods and turns on his heel. "Odd," he mutters watching the slender man.

For some reason the young cobra seems to have fallen almost into the same sort of coolness as when he first started coming over two months prior. He is curious why but not planning on asking.

_He thinks a great deal, far faster than most humans, I do not filter as well as Eric, so it takes more concentration to not pay too much attention. Unfortunately that means I am not blocking as well as normal. _The cobra remarks softly against his mind. _So I should apologize now for the fact I am in all of your heads while trying to filter him out._

_Don't worry about, _he replies with a small mental smile.

"Is something wrong, Gregory?" the politician inquires politely.

"Hmmmm, oh no," he smiles at his hopefully-to-be lover, "Aidan was just answering a question I was thinking."

"Ah."

"Shall we go eat?" he suggests with another smile.

Instead of speaking, the taller man nods turning and heading into the dining room, a smirk playing at the edge of his lips when he spots the room.

"Really?" he queries trying not to laugh at the fact the girls seem to have gone overboard.

Sofia comes bouncing up, "Sit down! Sit down! Sit down!" she exclaims happily. "I commandeered Aidan to help me put them up."

"She originally wanted to put more up," the cobra remarks as he sets out the dishes, "I was not cooperating, this is almost a bit much."

"Thanks girls and Aidan," he states as he looks around at the balloons, wall sign, and little pile of gifts next to his seat.

Sitting down in his spot, he smiles at them all as Madeline and Chare set the food on the table. For a minute his politician glances around before his youngest daughter gently pushes him towards the seat next to him with a smile before plopping down next to him. Across from Mycroft is Aidan with Chare beside, and Madeline at the end of the table directly across from him.

"Happy birthday Daddy," Chare tells him with a smile.

"You should eat while it is warm," Sofia tells him seriously while making herself a plate.

Smiling at his daughter he responds, "Alright baby-girl."

With that he sets to making a plate for himself, watching out of corner of his eye as his politician does the same slowly and waiting until the others have taken some before putting a bit on his plate. Actually, Aidan was doing the same. Both were also eating with perfect manners. As they ate the six of them chat softly about their day and the events that occurred, at least as much as any of them can. He is mildly surprised that the cobra is still speaking aloud since he knows that he does not do so very often, he must feel comfortable then. He is also surprised by the ease in which the cobra and politician actually get along.

When they are done eating and the table is barely cleared, his youngest starts bouncing in place eying his pile of gifts with nearly as much excitement as when it is her birthday.

"Come on! Come on!" she starts to chant.

"Shush! Cake first, then gifts, same order as it is for all our birthdays," his oldest remarks as she goes to fetch the cake from the other room.

"Awwww Chare…." The younger girl starts to whine only to be interrupted by his middle daughter.

"Quiet," she snaps, both aloud and with a quick flick of her fingers. In recent months she has taken to signing as often as speaking, working on increasing her speed and understanding of it. She has also been working on both versions, switching between British and American Sign Language with a surprising amount of ease. Actually, some of her teachers were concerned about that, because she can talk so they do not understand that she does not like to because of her lisp and slight stutter.

Before he has a chance to say anything his eldest is back with a square cake covered in blue frosting, the top of it designed to look like the front of the TARDIS, a birthday candle in place of the handle.

"I made the cake, Sofia made the frosting, and Madeline applied the frosting," Chare tells him while Madeline fetches the dishes.

"I am sure it will taste as good as it looks, you three are great cooks." He tells hers with a grin, "Not sure where you get that from."

It's his middle daughter that responds, "From you of course, just because you are not home most the time due to work, does not make you a bad cook."

"She's right, wait 'till you've had his lamb and mushroom gravy on rice." His youngest cuts in.

"Your salmon niçoise," his oldest remarks with a smile, "always awesome."

"If I recall you are the one who made the summer stew last week," the cobra remarks as he signs it as well, going back and forth with his middle daughter, "It was different than the one I grew up eating, but no less good."

Hands up he grins at the teenagers and child, "Alright, I give up, see what I get to deal with?" he queries of the politician with a small smirk.

With a completely straight face the auburn-haired man remarks, "It sounds as if you are down playing your abilities."

Chuckling, he grabs the knife to cut the cake, serving each person a piece. He makes sure to give Mycroft the part where the door handle should be, curious if he understands what he is trying to say with that. According to the expression in his stormy eyes he does indeed. The cake itself is a buttery caramel and butterscotch mix that lights his taste buds up. The frosting, despite being blue, tastes like white chocolate, while the white parts of the frosting taste like milk chocolate.

"That was wonderful girls," he tells them afterwards, pushing the plate away after a second slice.

"It was quite good," Mycroft agrees, with a slight nod, eying the cake, "Interesting combination of flavors. Have you considered become a pâtissier?"

Blushing, his eldest shakes her head, "I plan to become a veterinarian, already working on finding someone to apprentice. "

"Presents! Dinner and cake is done," his youngest exclaims bouncing in her seat once more.

Shaking his head, he smiles at his daughter, happy to see her so excited. For a while there he had been concerned about her because she had not reacted well to the woman who birthed her behavior. Now he is moderately sure that her jackal nature was rebelling.

Reaching for the first box, he opens it up to discover a new black leather journal, he had been keeping notes on his girls their entire life, but that was not the only thing he had recorded. He also tended to record important events too, whether they were personal, professional, or family related. Now he even recorded pack relat4ed events. Charlotte got her habit of writing from him. However to avoid problems he wrote everything in his own code that he designed as a teenager. While he is sure a code breaker would figure it out quickly, well his ex never did, nor did his parents or Anderson that one time he saw one of his journals. The journal is from Charlotte.

The second box is a new set of pens and ink refills for which he can thank his middle daughter, eyes alight with mirth. It is almost a gag gift since he had mentioned how hard it is to find good pens with refills for work, and his pens kept walking off. Due to the colorful design on each pen, he doubts any of his staff would dare try to take them since they look fairly unique. Not the sort of thing normally seen at the Yard that's for sure. They are in blue, black, red, and green.

The third box is also from Madeline, it's a set of new ties, all sedate colors but of a better material than most his ties are made of. His favorite in the set of five is dark blue with silver pinstripes. Though the dark green tie with teal 'v' on the bottom looks good too. Useful, he had lost two ties to cases, and one just got old.

The fourth box is from his youngest, having her bounce excitedly in her seat with impatience while he opens it. Inside is a box set collection of Classic Doctor Who. Since she is still bouncing impatiently he opens the other present that is the same size and shape to discover the Classic Doctor Who Specials. Now all he is missing is the newest season that is not yet on DVD. One of his guilty pleasures is enjoying watching Doctor Who, House MD, and Supernatural on his days off. Thankfully his daughters like those shows too.

His last present confuses him at first because it is a small case. When he opens it he is surprised to find a variety of gift cards to his favorite places to eat. Glancing up he can see the hesitation and questioning expression in the cobra's eyes and understands that it is his gift. He doesn't check the amount because he is sure he would try protesting if he did. Instead he simply nods a quick thank you towards the younger man.

When he is done with opening his gifts, he suggests that they go watch an episode or two of Classical Doctor Who which the girls immediately agree to while they are cleaning up.

He is just thankful that they did not sing to him, as much as he loves his daughters, the three of them together are horrid at singing.

After they finish watching the first two episodes of season one Classic Doctor Who, Aidan bids Chare and the rest of them goodbye before leaving. Not long after that Mycroft bids everyone goodnight as well.

Walking him to the car, he comments, "Thank you for coming, I am betting on short notice knowing my daughters."

A small smile pulls at the auburn-haired politician's lips, "Thank you for not minding my being here."

Waving it off he replies, "In some ways it's sort of expected, but I do not want to rush anything."

Stopping beside the politicians car, the slightly younger man turns to face him, a warmth in his eyes he is not used to seeing, "I know," he pauses stepping slightly closer so there is less space between us then custom dictates, "Would I be out of line asking to kiss you for your birthday gift?" the politician inquires in a low rumble.

Swallowing once at the fire in those stormy eyes he replies, "No, it would not be out of line," his gazes flickers between Mycroft's lips and eyes for a moment before continuing, "Please do."

A genuine smile, far more than the one he showed just moments earlier curves his lips as he breathes, "Good." His long fingered hands come up to cup his jaw, his thumbs slowly rubbing up and down his neck and under jaw for a moment before he carefully tilts his head and presses their lips together.

"Hggmmm," he groans as the shock of it runs through him, his own hands clutching at the taller man's hips to keep him where he is.

The kiss seems to last forever and not go on nearly long enough, it is in turns sweet and chaste and sensual and erotic. Particularly when Mycroft uses his tongue to lap gently at his causing him to groan again at the intimate contact.

When they finally break apart both of them are breathing heavy, and they just stand there for a time, his hands clutching the politician's hips while the politician is slowly stroking his face still.

"Goodnight Gregory," the auburn-haired man murmurs as he releases his face and steps back, breaking their contact, "Pleasant dreams, until tomorrow at dinner. I will send a car for you."

"Alright," he says a bit breathless, not sure how the younger man can seem to gain control so quickly, "Goodnight Mycroft."

Stepping back, he watches as he climbs in his car and drives off, staying outside long after he is gone as he tries to get his hormones back under control. After all, he really does not need his daughters asking him why he smells like he is in heat when he does not have heats. A nice long shower tonight would be perfect for taking care of his needs.


	8. Private Birthday Dinner

This chapter takes place during chapter 85 of Seeking

Tumblr about my stories: JaimiStoryTeller

So the goal is to catch this up before Easter so for Easter I can update Seeking, please leave plenty of reviews to prompt that goal! I greatly appreciate all of them.

* * *

><p><em>Mycroft's POV<em>  
>He was surprised when his phone had chirped at him with a message from Charlotte Lestrade as he walked through his front door toy his house.<p>

-Please be at our house today at seven pm to celebrate Daddy's birthday. Its Friday but he has to work.- Chare

It had taken him several moments to process as he remembers when Gregory's birthday actually is. He was also surprised by the invite, while they officially started courting last week he had not expected the girls to take to him so easily or invite him around for something that is clearly a family event. Eyes narrowing he had debated it for several minutes before nodding to himself and heading to his car in the garage. He could call for his driver but Paul's wife was pregnant and he knew the younger man was excited to get off early.

There is not enough time to select a proper gift. However they were supposed to have dinner tomorrow so he could give him something then.

Dinner with the Lestrade family was pleasant, smooth even. He was very surprised at seeing the younger cobra there. Silver eyes seriously watching him through most of the night, a curiosity and annoyed expression occasionally gleaming in those sharp eyes and yet the younger man says next to nothing to him. He found it amusing the way the middle daughter both spoke aloud with a lisp and used her hands to sign. From what he can tell she is using ASL, the same as the cobra. The two of them seem to be bouncing between the conversation being spoken aloud and their own conversation about the usage of different signs and a comparison between BSL and ASL. There is also a secondary conversation where she asks him about shielding which has him curious since it is purely done in sign language. He is curious what shielding is but is not asking tonight.

Then there had been the cake. He was given the handle piece on purpose. All three girls seemed to think it was of significance, as did Gregory according to his expression. There was warmth, a passion, a need in those eyes and for a brief moment he could not help but respond to it. Though he was going to have to discover what the importance of the door handle is.

After dinner they had watched two episodes of Classic Doctor Who and while he could probably repeat it word for word because that is how his mind works, his primary attention had been on the older man who has been actively courting him. He was taking in all of the details of his expression, the joy of having his family, his enjoyment of the old black and white show, he was not quite pressed against his side but they were close. This also caused him some food for thought because a part of him desired to be closer still, which is really illogical.

Then, as he was getting ready to leave he had paused to kiss the detective inspector, asking if he could as a birthday gift when in truth he really just wanted to kiss him and was not sure of its appropriateness. He would get him a proper gift tomorrow, or more exactly he would have Amber pick it up.

That kiss, well he was very happy that he had driven himself because after it he was more than half hard and had driven home growing progressively hard from the memory which is why he is now standing in his shower, his clothes unceremoniously left on his bedroom floor as he stripped. Using his forearm to support himself as he leans against the wall, while his other hand slowly strokes up and down his cock, his thumb occasionally brushing over the tip. In his mind's eye however it's not his hand stroking himself, it is that of the handsome silver haired man. It is so easy to picture, his long calloused fingers touching him. Slowly he builds up speed as he continues to imagine it until he can barely keep his hips from stuttering at the image. Soon enough he is coming all over his hand, a long moan escaping his lips.

Closing his eyes he leans his head against the wall and lets the water wash everything away. Still that is the quick response time he has ever had, of course he feels very little in the way of sexual desire or need, having spent years never even considering it.

Giving a small shake of his head, he finishes washing up before getting out of the shower and drying off. Heading to his room wearing nothing more than the towel wrapped around his waist he heads directly to his dresser in order to get a pair of pants and sleeping bottoms. Once dressed, he quickly picks up everything, shoving the dirty clothes into his suit hamper and the towel is hung up in the bathroom to dry.

Once that is done, he returns to his room grabbing his laptop and settling on his bed, he wishes to be done early tomorrow so he can make dinner on time so he starts on his paperwork for the next day. While it is an unending job, it is possible to get somewhat a head of the due dates which gives him a bit of extra time if he chooses. Traditionally he is a workaholic, choosing to spend his time working rather than anything else, but he has recently tried to tone back slightly, this way if anything does come of this courtship he will have just a little extra time to spend with them.

Just after three am he starts to feel drowsy, so he closes up his laptop, setting it aside on his night stand, clicking off the light, and going to bed. Three hours later he wakes up two minutes prior to his alarm, getting up and showering one more time before dressing for work. At five minutes to seven the mouse shows up with a small box, and he feels a slight tightening in his chest because it is Gregory's birthday and he is still getting a present.

Accepting it before he heads to his waiting car, he slides in and nods in greeting to his assistant before he opens the box, smiling when he realizes its pieces of the birthday cake. That was a very tasty cake, he was not joking when he suggested she become a pâtissier. From his understanding, the oldest of the girls often baked and made a variety of treats and such, he should know, many had been given as gifts too. So much for his diet.

"That smells delicious," his PA remarks as she glances up from her phone.

Grabbing a small fork out of the hidden drawer beneath his seat he cuts a small piece and hands it to her.

She makes sounds of pleasure before querying, "Who makes that? It's not one of your normal haunts, I know all of their flavors."

"Gregory's daughters, primarily the eldest and youngest," he replies as he closes the box, it will make a wonderful lunch when he is dealing with stupid people. "Any suggestions on a birthday gift for Gregory? All of the ideas I have seem a bit impersonal considering the fact we are 'courting'," he is a bit hesitant with the last word, not sure if that's the proper way to use it in this situation.

She tilts her head, "What are his interests? Perhaps there is something that he may appreciate related to them."

"Doctor Who, Supernatural, spending time with his daughters, board and card games to play with his girls, minor gardening, like reading mysteries but not ones related to murder, has an exercise area but does not use it often mostly due to work." He replies as he sorts through details.

"Perhaps a board game they do not have? He puts that much importance on spending time with the girls, having something to do with them would be a better gift than something purely for him," she suggests.

He thinks about it, before nodding once, while running a mental inventory of the games he knows they already have. "A copy of Doctor Who Trivia Pursuit, if you please, by tonight for dinner," he states clearly.

She smiles, "Yes sir, I will have it waiting in the car for him."

His work day goes rather smoothly, he manages to avoid two different international crises. Just before five thirty he uses the small bathroom attached to his office to get cleaned up before heading to his car. His other car has already been sent to pick up his date for dinner. He had made arrangements at Gregory's favorite restaurant despite the fact it is not the type of establishment that he is used to. They should be arriving at nearly the same time.

When he gets there, his other car is just pulling in behind him, and the older man gets out before his driver can open the door.

"Hullo Mycroft," the silver-haired man greets him holding the box that is still wrapped.

"Good evening Gregory," he replies as the two cars pull off. They will return when he sends the ready message. "Do you need to have your vehicle retrieved?" he inquires as they walk in.

"No, Chare has the car to go to her volunteer work and pick up her sisters after they are done with their after school lessons." The detective inspector explains as they head to a booth towards the back.

He had noticed in the past that the older man always selected spots where he could see the entire room yet only be approached from a few directions. Out of curiosity he had checked old CCTV recording and discovered this had been true since he had joined the force. It was a curious habit for the copper, but not overly surprising considering it.

"Why do you always select the most defendable position?" he inquires as they slide into the booth, arching an eyebrow at him curiously. He has a few theories but none of them seem quite right.

"I'm from a shifter family but not a shifter. That meant growing up I was the only one who did not participate in the hunting games the rest found normal. It also meant I was the only one without extra keen hearing or a sense of smell that allowed me to pick up details humans would miss. So some of my rude cousins used to like playing stalk the human, and as the only one in our generation, I was it." his date shrugs, "I learned other ways to deal with them, made sure I gave them as few openings as possible, those traits carried over when I decided to become a cop, allowing me to had a head start on defensive training compared to most."

He nodes once, that was not one of the answers he had expected but it makes sense, his assistant has repeatedly mentioned that the Watson pack is not like any other pack that she knows of. Then, arching his brow just a bit more, he motions to the gift while the hostess is giving them menus and inquiring after their choice of drink.

Distractedly they both order it and the older man remarks, "You really did not have to."

Flushing lightly he nods once, "I am aware, however I still desired to get you something." Was it the wrong choice? He wonders to himself as he watches the older man finger the wrapping.

A small smile plays at the detective inspectors lips and he realizes that his ex had not given him gifts so he did not actually expect them from his partner. He was used to them from his daughters but that was it. Oh. The custom of courting, only one partner is expected to give gifts, so the fact that he did so is the surprising part.

Slowly the older man unwraps his present, not shredding the paper like he had the night before with the girls which is also a curious thing. When he pulls the game out of the wrapper a huge smile curves his lips, one that lights up his entire face in pleasure.

"Thanks Mycroft, this is awesome! I'll probably lose against Sofia but still." the detective inspector softly exclaims before looking up at him and querying, "You'll join us won't you?"

"That may not be fair after the first few times," he replies after a moment's thought.

Smirking, the older man shrugs, replying, "I'll invite Aidan too, between the two of you, us four can get amusement when two perfect memories face off."

He blinks twice before nodding once, that would explain a lot about how he seems to act on habit for things that most take years to get, even when they are raised doing them.

Before he can comment the waitress comes ask after their orders. Since he is not sure what all he would like, he lets the older man order for the both of them. For several minutes the two of them talk about little things in life while they wait for their food. None of the conversation is serious. Once there food is there it seems to become a bit more lighthearted, something that is difficult for him since he is not sure of flirting and such. Despite that, it is a pleasant feeling, the flirting, and by the end of the dinner he is wishing that there was going to be more time. Earlier in the day he had Amber call and arrange for a cake.

"I realize it is probably not as good as the cake your rather skilled daughters made, but I had them make you a birthday cake," he murmurs as the hostess brings out a small white chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting. "Happy birthday Gregory," he murmurs after the hostess leaves.

The warmth in the older man's smile makes his stomach tingle and arousal pool low in his belly. "Thank you, really thank you." for a minute the slightly shorter man just stares at it and he wonders if he got the wrong flavor but then he looks up beaming as he quietly states, "Besides my parents, human grandparents, and daughters, no one has ever made me or ordered a cake for me."

A light blush covers his skin as he nods once.

The two of them share the cake after the detective inspector cuts it. He was right that it is not as good as the girls. It is still enjoyable, particularly with his current company. When they are done eating dinner the two of them go for a walk before he calls for the car. It is a nice walk, filled with the same type of quiet conversation. To someone watching they are just a hair closer than is strictly necessarily but it's nice. Once the car is there, the two of them get into it and his car drives them back to the Lestrade home, the two of them pressed close together in the car.

When they get to the house, he gets out along with the detective inspector, making sure he has his gift before pausing to stare at his face for a moment as he considers asking if it would be polite to kiss him again. Before he has worked up the nerve to ask, the detective inspector steps forward, closing the distance between and tilting his head up, softly pressing their lips together in a fairly chaste kiss when compared to the one of the night before then stepping back with a little smile on his lips.

"Goodnight Mycroft," the older man murmurs, "Have a good week."

"Yourself as well, Gregory." He replies with a small smile, his mind still a bit shocked over his boldness but very happy too.


	9. Daughters

This chapter takes place during chapter 85 of Seeking

Tumblr about my stories: JaimiStoryTeller

So the goal is to catch this up before Easter so for Easter I can update Seeking, please leave plenty of reviews to prompt that goal! I greatly appreciate all of them.

* * *

><p><em>Greg's POV<em>

He lucked out for his actual birthday. It ended up being mostly a paperwork day, with him having to file papers on cases, fill out court information, and all that other papers of those natures. He helped with a few interrogations from some of the younger inspectors, and otherwise had a calm but long day. His long day got a bit longer when he arrived at home at the same time as his obviously upset daughter.

His natural instinct as a parent was to hurt whoever made his baby girl sad. However considering it was a Friday, that meant she had been with Aidan, so he decides to try talking with her instead, discovering what the problem is. Though that instinct is still there and still is an option.

"Come on Chare, let's go in the house, you can tell me what's wrong." He gently suggests to his oldest daughter, leading her inside and to the kitchen while he makes hot chocolate for them, its spring and she's a girl. Chocolate is better than tea. As he sets the cup in front of her he inquires, "Now tell me why you are so sad."

"I think I messed things up with Aidan," she mumbles, her voice his pitched and ready to break in tears.

The compulsion to rub the bridge of his nose is massive but he does not knowing she would see it as a sign of disappointment, instead he cup his hot chocolate and takes a sip. "How Chare?"

Slowly, in between shallow sniffles as she tries not to cry, she relays the entire night. The making dinner for him, the small gift she had picked up for him. The argument over presents, the fact that she did not have to get him anything, after all he was the one doing the courting, the fact she sometimes felt he was trying to buy her affection with gifts and that was not needed.

Even before she finished he understood what the problem was. It is probably something he should have discussed with her when the cobra first showed interest but he had not though it necessary. After all, hadn't his sisters spoken with her about the relationship aspects of the pack life? Apparently not, so now he needed to try and help with the damage control. Perhaps it was not a good idea to raise the girls as humans more than jackals. They had never thought any of their daughters would present jackal though, so the shifter world would have been mostly closed to them. After all, in jackal packs, only full shifters and their mates count.

"Chare love, did my sisters ever explain to you the meaning of the gift giving?" he softly inquires before standing to make more hot water. Really a stiff drink sounds good right now, but shifter teens do not drink and he is trying to keep it even for her.

She shakes her head, eyes still full of unshed tears.

"Oh sweetheart," he murmurs soothingly, "The purpose of the gift giving is to show that the person courting you can support you during pregnancy, anticipate your needs, and provide for you if you choose to be a stay at home parent. By telling him he does not need to get you gifts, you're telling him that he is not worth your time and do not wish to be courted by him. That he is not a worthy mate." He keeps his voice low, pitch designed to relax since he knows that this is not going to be a good.

"What!" she just about shouts and he is happy his other two daughters are not home at the moment, since they are spending the night at his sister Penny's house.

He nods once slowly and waits for her to continue to process.

"How do I fix this Daddy? I never wanted him to think that." She questions as she bites her lip and tries not to cry.

"Talk with him, baby girl, he's a strong telepath so he probably realizes that and was reacting out of instinct more than thought. Tomorrow is the new moon gathering, you can talk with him after, explain why you reacted the way you did." He suggests, moving to give her a hug.

"Can I cuddle with you?" she whispers against his shoulder as she wraps her arms around him.

"Of course baby girl, just let me get a shower first." He replies with a small, reassuring smile as he stands.

She nods, setting to cleaning up the cups and kettle while he heads to the bathroom attached to his room. This house really was something special, perfect for him and the girls. Once he is cleaned up and wearing a pair of pants and sleeping bottoms he heads downstairs to see where his little girl wants to cuddle to discover her sitting on the sofa in the form of a jackal, her ears drooping with sadness and hers still bright.

Picking her up, he stretches out on the sofa and lays her on his stomach, gently running a hand down her back in long, smooth strokes.

He understands that she is in the form where her emotions are muted according to John. It is probably her way of trying to process and he is all for that. It's healthier than trying to avoid the problem. This might be painful, but it's a lot less painful than ignoring it and the situation getting worse. He will offer any form of support she needs.

Eventually the two of them drift off and he wakes up to his alarm going off on his phone. He works a short shift today, mostly just a show some of the new inspectors around. When the alarm sounds a second time his daughter jumps off of his chest carefully, landing on the floor and returning to being a human.

Sleepily she rubs her eyes before glancing at his phone, and muttering, "It's too early to be awake on Saturday. See you after work Daddy," she kisses his cheek before heading up to her room and going back to bed.

His day at work is quick and quiet, the new recruits thankfully faster than some of the previous ones. He is not sure how he ended up on teaching duty but was alright. It was one of the few duties he enjoyed. After his short shift he heads over to his sister Penny's house to pick up his daughters.

When he gets there he is surprised to see that his youngest daughter is glaring daggers at his niece Andy.

"Sofia?" he questions as he comes into the house.

"Hello Daddy," the little girl greets him, giving him a quick hug, "I'm going to go get my stuff. Ask Aunt Penny what Andy did to Madeline."

He watches as she goes flouncing off before he turns to his sister with a raised eyebrow.

Sighing, his sister queries, "Would you like some tea?"

"No thanks, once the girls have their stuff we are going to get Chare from home then head to our pack meeting." he replies with a smile, "What's going on with Andy, Madeline, and Sofia?"

"Andy made a remark about Madeline being an abomination and a freak because she is gifted instead of a shifter. Sofia reacted quickly and surprisingly, going from where she was seated to the other side of the room and shifting in motion." His sister shakes her head in shock, "I have never seen a child shift in motion or control their shift so well. Sofia pinned Andy to the floor in her jackal form, teeth at her throat and broadcasted that she better not hear something like that again because Madeline is one of us and family."

His eyes widen as his sister talks, he had worried that non-family would act like that because shifters and gifted have not gotten along in thousands of years, but he had never thought something like that would happen within the family. Madeline is his bond-daughter but that does not matter, she is still his daughter.

"Andy apologized as soon as Sofia let go of her throat, but the damage was done, both girls withdrew to their room and barely allowed me in." His sister continues softly.

"I'll talk to the girls, see if there was something more to it." he remarks as Madeline and Sofia come into the room, their backpacks on their shoulders.

~We're ready,~ his middle daughter signs, her motions tight and full of anger.

"Alright girls, let's go get your sister so we can get to the pack house," he comments as he smiles at his daughters, "Later Penny."

"I'll have a word with Andy," she responds with a small, sad smile, "Have a good week Madeline, Sofia." She tries to hug the girls but both step back and refuse to accept it, barely nodding before they leave without saying a word to anyone else.

He can see his niece flinch and looks like she wants to say something but she does not.

When they get to the house, he has barely pulled into the driveway when his oldest is in the car so that they can go. He understands about her distraction and why she wants to be at the pack home. While she asks how their night went none of them really talk and he seriously hopes that Aidan is there so that at least one of his girls can be brought back into a good mood. Otherwise its going to be a long night.


	10. Dad Talk

This chapter takes place during chapter 85 of Seeking

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So the goal is to catch this up before Easter so for Easter I can update Seeking, please leave plenty of reviews to prompt that goal! I greatly appreciate all of them.

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><p><em>Greg's POV<em>  
>In the days following the new moon gathering are a bit tense and frustrating. All three of his daughters were in moods. Chare was frustrated, worried, and scared because she had not heard from Aidan in a few days and her gifts stopped so she seems certain that she has lost Aidan. He wants to reassure her but knows it's not going to help right now. Madeline is withdrawn, she refuses to talk about what happened but has requested that they stop spending on Friday a month at Penny's house. He knows what Penny told him, but really wants to get the girls to tell him their views on it, however neither will talk to him about it. Sofia, who is normally a happy and bubbly child, is full of anger at the mention of any of Penny's part of the family.<p>

The following Friday the girls are supposed to go to Laura's house only they refuse, having Chare pick them up instead when they learn that Laura has invited Penny and her girls over for a girl's night.

He had received a phone call from his sister shortly before the end of his shift. "Lestrade." He answers without looking at the ID.

"Hey Greg," his sister greets him, "it's Laura, the girl's didn't come over tonight. I had texted Madeline and Chare at lunch to tell them that I was hosting a girl's night for us Lestrade ladies and they didn't show. I called all three, but only Chare answered and she said they had other plans."

Sighing, he pinches the ridge of his nose, "I'll talk to them, Sofia and Madeline are avoiding Penny and her family right now."

"Oh," she murmurs, "I hadn't realized."

"Yeah, apparently something happened between Sofia and Andy last Friday," he responds, "I'll try talking with them again."

"Alright, well, maybe we can do dinner next weekend," she suggests, "I won't invite Penny and her family."

He smiles despite the fact he knows his sister cannot see it and remarks, "That'd be good, I gotta go, still at work."

"Alright Greg, take care," she comments before hanging up.

"Something wrong?" his second inquires, left hand on her hip as she looks at him curiously.

"It's nothing to do with our crime scene Donovan, just a family matter to take care of later," he replies. While he thinks that she is a good sergeant, he really does not discuss his daughters with her, particularly at a crime scene. As he looks around, he sighs, really wishing that Sherlock was still around. This was the fourth such crime scene where he is certain there has been a murder but there are no bodies, just an odd residue in the blood spilled everywhere. In each case the blood tested as the victims, and because he remembers the Bomber case and its small side cases, he has the blood checked to make sure it was not frozen. In this scene there was something new, there was part of pieces of skin. "Let's wrap this up, let the forensic team finish their job."

The rest of his shift goes quickly, and he heads home without saying much to anyone. As soon as he gets home he calls Madeline and Sofia into the living room.

"Alright girls, now tell me why you are avoiding Penny and her family," he softly orders as he sits down in front of them, looking between the girls.

His middle daughter is silent, simply staring at her folded hands. Years of being a copper tell him to just stay quiet and one of them will say something. Probably Sofia judging by the fact she is vibrating with pent up energy.

"Use any means you wish," he states before sitting back and waiting.

It is not a long wait, though he can tell his daughters are having a silent conversation.

"Andy called Madeline a freak and abomination, made some other really rude comments, and none of them stopped her. According to scent they agreed with her." his youngest snaps, "I like our pack and family there. They are asshats just because Madeline's not a shifter."

"Language Sofia," he reminds her quietly, before falling quiet again, he has a feeling there is more to it.

Again there is silence for a bit before his middle daughter's hands move slowly, hesitantly, signing rather than speaking aloud, ~I could hear them, in their minds. Only Uncle Thomas was upset by the comments. The rest either agreed or thought she was right. I don't want to go back over there or deal with them any time soon.~

Sighing lightly, he moves over to the sofa, getting the girls to scoot apart before he settles between them and pulls them against his sides, tucking his youngest daughter against his left side and his middle daughter against his right side, his arms wrapping around the girls shoulders. Once they are comfortable against his sides, he kisses the top of each of their heads. Sofia tucks her arms around him, slipping on behind him in the space between his back and the sofa, while Madeline tucks her head against his chest and tuckers her hands beneath her chin.

"I understand, I really do, I was the only human beside Mum in a house of jackals. Later, when they actually think about their behavior they will feel bad about it, they will regret it," he murmurs as he rests his cheek against the crown of the older girl's head. "I love all three of you for yourselves, never doubt that." For a long while the three of them just sit there silently, eventually he suggests, "As frustrating as it may be, do not take forgiveness off the table, they are family after all."

"Alright Daddy," his youngest eventually grumbles, her voice muffled in his shirt.

His middle daughter nods, not moving from where she is tucked against him. That's how they spend most of Friday night, eventually Chare joins them. In order to make space, his littlest daughter shifts and stretches out across their laps so all three of them can pet her fur, while his oldest takes her previous spot. It's a nice and quiet time, simply them as a family.

The breech between his daughters and his sister's family will eventually heal, though he doubts that their relationship will ever be as close again. He can still remember the problems he had with his oldest sister when she presented as a shifter and the first thing she noticed was he smelled human, not like her or their Dad. It would be years before they would start to get along again, he would nearly die dealing with a criminal before they would be able to work out their differences. He is surprised by Penny. She had always been the most supportive shifter in his family. Perhaps he should have a talk with his sister, see what she has to say on the matter. Not tonight however, tonight is going to just be him and the girls, maybe he would order take away and the four of them would use that new Doctor Who Trivia Pursuit game that Mycroft had given him for his birthday.


	11. Day of Seeds

This chapter takes place during chapter 85 of Seeking

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So the goal is to catch this up before Easter so for Easter I can update Seeking, please leave plenty of reviews to prompt that goal! I greatly appreciate all of them.

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><p><em>Mycroft's POV<em>  
>He feels the brush against his mind, a rather questioning touch, and he recognizes it as Trace, one of his two pack assigned guards.<p>

_Yes?_ He mentally inquires, focusing on the wolf. He had discovered after being pulled into the pack link that he had developed a limited gift of telepathy with other pack members. It is not strong nor very long ranged, but worked for catching his guards attention and asking questions.

_Are you attending the Day of Seeds celebration at the pack home when you are done working? _The wolf questions, his voice a bit curious.

Eyes narrowing, he tries to recall if he has heard of that before. _What is it?_

_It is the celebration of growth and spring, pays respects to the Earth Lord, the patron god of wolves. _The wolf answers him after a moment.

He considers this for a moment, remembering that the doctor had once said their gods were active and wonders how true this is. Perhaps he should go in order to see what type of celebration it is.

_How is it celebrated?_ He inquires as he works on his paperwork, getting most of it done now. Some things are just far too simple to be interesting.

_Choosing of a plant to grow during the gathering, plants always have meaning, I selected a pine last year for its meaning of hope. It is currently growing in a pot on my front porch. After selecting a plant, you put the seeds or saplings into a pot, you my select a boring pot of a decorative, one with meaning or just for show. _The wolf pauses in his answer for a moment, he gets the impression that the other man is considering the order to describe the situation in. _Somoni, a Japanese wolf bonded to Kaley Watson will be leading, she is well versed in the Earth Lord lore and traditions. Once you have your plant all ready place it somewhere it will not be lost until dusk, there is a pot luck. _

He rolls his eyes at this, thinking that the pack seems to love pot lucks. It is horrible for his diet, especially the cakes, and the Lestrade daughter's cakes in particular.

_Ye,s we feed each other a lot, it is good for building comrade between packmates. _There is a pause then the wolf remarks, _you do not need to diet, you need to eat more stably, perhaps you should consider a mindhealing to deal with the habit of binge eating. Anyways, back to the subject at hand, the pot luck lasts all day, with people coming in through the entire day to do their seeds and eat. There are different games and groups set up, people getting to know each other, spending time together, and learning from each other. At dusk everyone gathers in the oldest ring of trees. The caller, Somoni, will lead the prayer to the Earth Lord while everyone holds their plant seeds or cutting. If the Earth Lord accepts the plants will grow rapidly and will last far longer than any regular plant. _

Hmmmm, he thinks to himself, paging his assistant, he waits for the dark-haired woman to enter the room before inquiring, "What is on the schedule for the rest of today?"

She flips through her phone before answering, "You have a meeting at one with the minor official of Sweden, and the rest of the day is just paperwork."

"After the meeting I am leaving early today," he states, as he sorts the papers on his desk, "I have been notified of a pack gathering I would like to attend." _I will be attending._

"Day of Seeds," she murmurs, glancing up from her phone, "I had not thought you would be interested or I would have notified you of it."

Curious, he queries, "Do you celebrate it?"

She nods once, "I do, before work I get my planter ready, so all I have to do is pick it up after work on my way to the clan gathering." Looking back at her phone, she asks, "Is that all sir?"

He nods, before returning to his paperwork while she leaves. Eyes narrowing, he considers the statement about his weight. He has always had weight issues. It has always fluctuated between him being too heavy and too light. Over the years his brother has made lots of comments on it, many were cruel and snide, but towards the end, before he had left for this trip, the comments had changed. They were no longer cruel, but almost questioning instead. Could it have been possible his brother was worried about him? He is curious what mindhealing is, this is not the first time he has heard that word.

_What is mindhealing?_ He inquires of the wolf.

_The closest I can compare it to in the human world are therapists who work with mental disorders. The difference is, a mindhealing actually takes place fully within your head, can normally be completed within one or two times. _The wolf replies, _the mindhealer enters your mind, finds the areas that are problemed, and carefully sets to repairing them. Do not ask me exactly how, I am not a mindhealer, though I have been mindhealed in the past to deal with my depression. _He gets the impression of a shrug, as if it is not a big deal.

He can think of several very useful applications of that. At the same time he realizes the moral ethics problem that comes with that sort of gift. If it is used wrong, it could be a mind control technique, if used right it could be very useful. A part of him is curious if he could enlist a mindhealer to work for him. How much more useful would his staff be if he did not have to worry about them having a mental break?

_Does a person have to be awake for mindhealing?_ He inquires, gathering more information.

_No, like physical healing it is possible for the person to be asleep for it. Some mindhealers prefer that actually, because then the person's mind does not fight against them. _He gets the impression that the wolves eyes narrow.

_Thank you for the information, _he replies to that before falling mentally silent and returning to his work. It is fifteen minutes to one, best eat one of those fruit bars now that he is being prompted to eat regularly. At least they taste good. It had taken a few tries to get only flavors he likes, but now he does not have as big a problem eating them as when he was first told to add at least one of them a day to his eating habits.

He has just finished his fruit bar, peach and apricot, when there is a knock at the door and his assistant slips in.

"You're one o'clock is here," she tells him seriously.

"I'm ready," he responds with a small nod, his eyes sweeping the area to make sure that there is nothing out of place.

His meeting lasts for nearly two hours, but he feels that it is productive. After the meeting, he finishes up the paperwork on his desk and stands, calling for his car to take him back to his flat. At his flat he showers before dressing in one of his more conservative tan suits, having noticed that amber gold seems to be a favored color within the pack. Once he feels ready, he grabs his black umbrella before heading to his car and using it to go to the pack house. Along the way, he decides to stop at one of his favorite sandwich shops, purchasing all of the premade sandwiches they have. When he gets there, he parks in the same spot he has parked in several times before, mildly shocked to see that there are not a lot of people here yet until he remembers that school is in session so the families will probably be coming after.

Getting out of the car, he grabs the three bags of sandwiches, a slight flush on his skin. This is the first time he has brought something for the pot luck, though he has really only been to two of them, the first one where he was welcomed to the pack, and the one after. Heading into the house, he knocks twice before entering, more out of habit than because he has to. Inside the pack house he discovers that the tables are already set up with the beginning stages of food. He is not sure whether he should put the sandwiches out or not.

"Mycroft! Hello, how are you? Have you brought something for the pot luck? I'm happy you were able to make it." Xia exclaims in Chinese when she spots him, hurrying over to where he is standing.

He smiles the politician's smile, before nodding once and murmuring, "Hello Xia," tilting his head he continues, "Do you know where I may put these?"

"I'm in charge of the buffet right now, so let us go put them up." she answers happily.

Again he nods once, before motioning for her to precede him. As they are walking through the house, she chatters away at him in Chinese, telling him about every little thing, most of which he phases out, catching only the important parts. Once in the kitchen, she takes the bags, carefully sorting through and putting some of the sandwiches on a tray to carry them out to the table, while the rest are put into the bottom drawer of the fridge.

He walks with her, carrying one of the trays to set on the buffet table.

Once it is in place she turns to him querying, "Have you already got a seed ready? I picked strawberries, for all of the positive meanings that go with the plants plus the fact I can use them for cooking."

"Hmmmmm," he makes a humming noise, "I have not."

She beams at him before asking, "Do you know where the gardening shed is out back?"

"I do not, however I am certain I can find it with ease," he replies with a small smile at the excitable shifter.

"If you go out the back of the kitchen, through the door to the kitchen garden, turn left and keep on going to the edge of the house you will find Somoni helping people to select their plants and potters." She tells him before scuttling off to collect the food from another person who has just arrived.

He follows her advice, taking his time to look around as he does so, before finding it. There is a small, dark-haired woman with an olive complexion and rich brown almond eyes that seems to be fluttering around helping the various people. When she spots him, her head tilts her head for a moment before wandering towards him.

"You are human," she murmurs, "My greetings Mycroft, brother of the alpha-second."

He arches an eyebrow at her, surprised at her greeting.

She smiles and shrugs slightly, "Not from here, still use some of the customs I grew up with, including using rank of known family member." She pauses, tilting her head slightly, "I am Solomi Watson."

"Mycroft Holmes," he replies, not bothering to respond to the rest.

"Would you like an explanation of plants choices and pot choices?" she inquires, her expression becoming more serene.

He nods once, his attention focusing on her as she moves over to one of the tables and begins to speak, pointing at different pots and explaining their meanings. From there she moves to a different table with a variety of soils, rocks, and filler on it. After that she moves on to the biggest table currently set up, pointing out the different sections it is divided into and listing off all of the plant seeds and cuttings, and there meanings. She then shows him to a cart set up with supplies including a tray with gloves, a variety of trowels and other little tools, and aprons.

When she is done she turns to him, lifting her head slightly and querying, "Have you questions?"

"Will it matter what combination I use?" he questions after considering the information.

"If you plan to keep it potted, select a long shelf life pot, otherwise, not particularly." She answers with a smile.

He nods once more before turning and selecting a tray before heading over to the first table. Setting it down, he grabs the apron and puts it on, before carefully looking over the pots. Some are plain, some are simplistic in there decorations, and some are highly ornate. He selects a low, flat pot of a dark red color that would match his office. Frowning he considers the next set of options.

Apparently the Japanese wolf notices that he is trying to decide something because she drifts over and queries, "A question?"

Inclining his head he asks, "Is there a way to ensure the plant reminds small?"

She tilts her head to the side, a thoughtful expression on her face, "How small? The pot you have selected is for a plant up to sixty centimeters in height and ninety-one centimeters in width."

His mind quickly figures out exactly how big that is and smiles slightly, just a bare curve of the lips, "That will work."

She inclines her head, "then we paint the symbols of growth slowing on the bottom of the pot." She motions to some of the painting supplies, selecting a very fine tipped brush and waiting for him to choose the color. Silently he selects the deep red since it will match the light swirling pattern on the bottom of the pot, blending with the rest of the reds. "This is the rune to slow growth," she carefully paints it onto the bottom of the pot, showing him each stroke and motion, along with the final results. It reminds him of a Japanese symbol.

"If I decide to give the plant to someone later, will that affect its life span?" he inquires as he accepts the pot back.

Smiling lightly she gives a small shake of her head, "Many people use these plants as a gifts, since they have longer lives , they excel for that purpose."

"Excellent," he responds before settling the pot on his tray and moving on to next stage. His mind pulls up images of all of the bonsai and miniature trees he has seen over the years, considering how the plant was supported. Carefully he designs the bottom and inside of the pot. Layering the gravel for drainage space, the soil to plant it in, after reading the packages of the different types to discover the one that is best for his needs, after that he coats the top with a soft set of pebbles and light moss covering except the center where he wishes to put the plant. Once the second step is done he moves onto the table of seeds and cuttings, carefully looking over the options, including the pictures that go with each. When he has decided on which of the small bushes he wants, he read the instructions on their care and growth. After he has completed the process, he puts the tray back with the apron.

Before he has a chance to say or do anything, a high pitch squeal rips through the air, "Mycroft!"

Turning, he discovers the youngest Lestrade hurrying towards him, her small body flying through the small building to his side.

"Hello Sofia, may I assume the rest of your family is nearby?" he inquires as she stops directly in front of him and beams at him.

"Daddy is speaking with Uncle John, Chare is looking for her missing cobra, and Madeline is on her way here. What type of plant did you pick?" she replies in rapid fire her eyes bright.

The last time he had spoken with Gregory he had mention that his youngest and middle daughters were a bit upset over something one of his nieces had said.

"I selected a Japanese winterberry, a type of holly," he answers, "Do you know what type you wish to select?"

She beams at him, picking a temporary pot and setting about getting her tray, "I'm planting sunrise morning glories, I've spent the last three weeks thinking about what I want. Morning glories alone, before considering the color are for affection, then I picked color choices for all positive things, 'cause I want our lives to be good." As she is speaking she is working on her pot, her small hands diligent, "I garden sometimes, and I like to read about it." She smiles whimsically, "Maybe I will be a landscaper when I grow up."

A soft chuckle escapes him at the idea, he cannot picture this small girl so full of life and energy doing gardening for the rest of her life. Actually, he is moderately sure she is going to be one of those types who accomplish her goals in one field before moving on to the next. By the time she is done, he is certain she will have several degrees and successful careers.

The young girl is just about done making her pot when her sisters enter, both waving at him, but neither speaking. The elder looks likes she is concerned and distracted, the middle looks like she is in a better mood now than she has been in a while.

"We're all meeting up at the normal table in the dining hall area to eat, wanna join us?" the little girl asks in her normal hyper way.

He inclines his head and follows the small jackal as she trots out of the area, around the house, and over to their car, setting her planter on the floor in the back seat.

Since that is a good idea he walks over to his own, settling it down inside his before he turns to find her next to him, a big smile on her face.

"How have your classes been?" he inquires as they turn towards the house and make their way to the gathering room.

Happily she chatters away, telling him about her classes and teachers. The other shifters and gifted that she has in her building and classes, how she can identify them on scent alone sometime. She babbled about hers and Madeline's plans for this upcoming Friday, reminding him that she was currently avoiding part of her family.

"Do you plan to hold a grudge forever?" he queries as they sit down, they have only retrieved drinks, choosing to wait for the others before eating.

She shakes her head, hard, "No, just until they smell like they regret their behavior. We're family, family is supposed to support and help each other, not be cruel." She gives another shake of her head, "Bit not good, as Uncle John says."

He nods understanding exactly where she is coming from.

Silence falls as the two of the sip at their drinks. He is surprised at how easily she seems to handle it. Eventually she tilts her head in queries, "Why don't you think I am wrong for reacting as I did?"

His lips twitch in a small smile, "I might not have always gotten along with my brothers, but only I could treat them like that."

She nods and again the two of them fall silent. The silence is short lasted because Charlotte and Gregory join them, talking about something to do with customs. He listens closer, taking in the details. A few minutes after that Madeline joins them, her fingers dancing a quick hello towards him. The five of them visit for a short while before getting up to get dinner from the buffet. One thing he is happy about is all three girls have healthy appetites unlike so many other girls he knows of.

When they are done eating, Sofia decides to join the other children of her age. Charlotte goes to join the pack teenagers. Madeline retreats to the library. He spends the time with Gregory, just talking about whatever comes to mind. Just before it starts to get dark outside the female beta calls everyone to attention, before mentioning that the gathering is beginning. At that point, many of the people within the room with draw, heading to their vehicles or where they had placed their pots to collect them.

After fetching his own pot, he meets back up with the Lestrade family, walking with them to a ring of trees in the fair side of the property.

His gaze sweeps the area, taking in all of the pack members including John who looks like he wants to be somewhere else. Stepping so she is closer to the middle, the Japanese wolf begins speaking. Though it is not in any language that he knows nor does it sound like Japanese.

_Hold you pot in front of you, think of what you wish for this upcoming year, if your desires match your plant and are sincere, the plant will grow._ The voice is soft and in his head, forcing him to quickly match mental tone with aloud tone and coming up with Mouse.

He nods once, moving his hands to hold the pot in front of him, focusing on those he considers family, including his brothers, parents, Gregory, the three girls, and hesitantly John. He continues to listen memorizing the words to see if someone will translate them or he can work out a translation.

As she finishes speaking, the sky around them seems to light up, shades of browns and greens, colors that are never seen in the northern lights and definitely never seen in the air around where they are. Eyes narrowing, he focuses, just barely making out the form of a solid man that seems to shimmer into existence for just a few moments before vanishing. Nearly every single pot goes from having just seeds and saplings to having nearly full plants.

His own seed is now a windswept miniature Japanese winterberry tree, its trunk solid and twisty, flaring out into a variety of curvy, coiled, and curled branches, each ending in small tightly furled dark red buds. It is rather beautiful actually.

"Beautiful," the little jackal murmurs as she glances at his plant.

~It is very nice, we both have types of holly,~ the gifted girl signs, ~protection and hope, good meanings and purposes.~

~They are good meaning, you have a nice English holly,~ he replies.

She smiles at him, a small thing but he is aware of its importance.

He smiles back.


End file.
